Dynasty Warriors 5 PlayStation 2

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Chaos Mode Guide

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DYNASTY WARRIORS 5 & XTREME LEGENDS
COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE FOR CHAOS DIFFICULTY
Created by: Jonathan Leung
Email: jonnay_@hotmail.com
Version 2.05
Start Date: September, 2005
End Date: June, 2006
End Date: Sept, 2006 [XL]
End Date: August, 2007 (Full Weapon Customization)
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Table of Contents
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
1.00 - Introduction
2.00 - Copyright
3.00 - Version History
4.00 - Legend
5.00 - General Information and Basics of Chaos Difficulty
5.01 - Changes to Xtreme Legends [XL]
6.00 - General Tips and Strategies of Handling Chaos Difficulty
6.01 - Suggested Items to Equip
6.02 - The Somersault, or Reorientation
6.03 - Eliminate or Avoid Archers
6.04 - Target Majors
6.05 - Attacking Enemies When They are in the Air
6.06 - Keep Your Enemies in Front of You
6.07 - Characters With Two Weapons
6.08 - Steer Clear of Enemy Attack Bases
6.09 - Fighting in Enemy Bases
6.10 - Keep Your Eye on the Detailed Map
6.11 - The Musou Rage
6.12 - The Importance of the Counterattack
6.13 - The Art of True Juggling
6.14 - Manually Increasing Your Attack Range
6.15 - The Non-Playable Spear General
6.16 - A Cheap Method of Defeating Generals with Ease
6.17 - Reasons For Choosing the Ice Orb or Fire Orb
6.18 - Having Your Back Facing a General
6.19 - Taking Advantage of Certain Solid Objects
6.20 - Outside Boundaries
6.21 - Attacks with High Height
6.22 - Unblockable Attacks
6.23 - Disconnected Ground
6.24 - Generals Approaching at a Distance
6.25 - Enemies that do not Flinch
6.26 - Weapon Power
6.27 - Weapon Weight Multiplier
6.28 - The Green Scroll
6.29 - The Disadvantages of Having a Bodyguard
6.30 - Unsuspected and Unwanted Displacement
6.31 - Enemies in Musou Rage
6.32 - Ice Orb Probability
6.33 - The True Way of Musou [XL]
6.34 - The Dragon Arms [XL]
6.35 - Damage-Free Zone
7.00 - Musou Rage Token and Meat Bun Locations for 5-star Difficulty Stages
7.01 - The Yellow Turban Rebellion (Yellow Turban Forces)
7.02 - The Battle of Chi Bi (Allied Forces)
7.03 - Conquest of Nan Zhong (Nanman Forces)
7.04 - The Siege of He Fei Castle (Wei Forces)
7.05 - The Siege of He Fei Castle (Wu Forces)
7.06 - Battle of Bai Di Castle (Wu Forces)
7.07 - Battle of Bai Di Castle (Shu Forces)
7.08 - Battle of Wu Zhang Plains (Wei Forces)
7.09 - Battle of Wu Zhang Plains (Shu Forces)
7.10 - Struggle for the Book (183AD) [XL]
7.11 - Rescue at Lou Sang Village (184AD) [XL]
7.12 - Ou Xing's Rebellion (187AD) [XL]
7.13 - The Ten Eunuchs' Rebellion (189AD) [XL]
7.14 - Battle of Yan Province (194AD) [XL]
7.15 - Imperial Rescue (195AD) [XL]
7.16 - The Two Qiaos (196AD) [XL]
7.17 - Husbands and Wives (200AD) [XL]
7.18 - Battle of Ji Castle (213AD) [XL]
7.19 - Battle of Jia Meng Gate (214AD) [XL]
7.20 - Battle of Yang Ping Gate (215AD) [XL]
7.21 - Battle of Ru Xu Kou (217AD) [XL]
7.22 - Battle of Han Shui (219AD) [XL]
7.23 - Battle of Mai Castle (219AD) [XL]
7.24 - Battle of Xin Castle (227AD) [XL]
7.25 - Battle of Shi Ting (228AD) [XL]
7.26 - Battle of Mt. Qi (231AD) [XL]
7.27 - Showdown at Nan Zhong (235AD) [XL]
8.00 - Individual Character Analyses for Dynasty Warriors 5
8.01 - Lu Bu
8.02 - Ma Chao
8.03 - Zhuge Liang
8.04 - Zhao Yun
8.05 - Wei Yan
8.06 - Gan Ning
8.07 - Xiahou Dun
8.08 - Pang De
8.09 - Zhang Liao
8.10 - Guan Yu
8.11 - Sima Yi
8.12 - Xu Huang
8.13 - Zuo Ci
8.14 - Ling Tong
8.15 - Meng Huo
8.16 - Pang Tong
8.17 - Zhang He
8.18 - Lu Xun
8.19 - Zhou Yu
8.20 - Xiao Qiao
8.21 - Yue Ying
8.22 - Guan Ping
8.23 - Lu Meng
8.24 - Xing Cai
8.25 - Liu Bei
8.26 - Cao Ren
8.27 - Huang Zhong
8.28 - Da Qiao
8.29 - Sun Shang Xiang
8.30 - Zhou Tai
8.31 - Zhang Fei
8.32 - Jiang Wei
8.33 - Yuan Shao
8.34 - Cao Pi
8.35 - Sun Quan
8.36 - Cao Cao
8.37 - Dong Zhuo
8.38 - Xu Zhu
8.39 - Xiahou Yuan
8.40 - Sun Jian
8.41 - Zhu Rong
8.42 - Zhen Ji
8.43 - Dian Wei
8.44 - Huang Gai
8.45 - Diao Chan
8.46 - Taishi Ci
8.47 - Sun Ce
8.48 - Zhang Jiao
9.00 - Individual Character Analyses for Xtreme Legends [XL]
9.01 - Lu Bu [XL]
9.02 - Zhou Tai [XL]
9.03 - Zhao Yun [XL]
9.04 - Ma Chao [XL]
9.05 - Lu Xun [XL]
9.06 - Wei Yan [XL]
9.07 - Gan Ning [XL]
9.08 - Zhang Liao [XL]
9.09 - Pang De [XL]
9.10 - Da Qiao [XL]
9.11 - Zhuge Liang [XL]
9.12 - Zuo Ci [XL]
9.13 - Ling Tong [XL]
9.14 - Yuan Shao [XL]
9.15 - Sun Quan [XL]
9.16 - Sima Yi [XL]
9.17 - Zhang He [XL]
9.18 - Nu Wa [XL]
9.19 - Liu Bei [XL]
9.20 - Xiahou Dun [XL]
9.21 - Zhang Fei [XL]
9.22 - Jiang Wei [XL]
9.23 - Xing Cai [XL]
9.24 - Lu Meng [XL]
9.25 - Dong Zhuo [XL]
9.26 - Guan Yu [XL]
9.27 - Zhou Yu [XL]
9.28 - Pang Tong [XL]
9.29 - Meng Huo [XL]
9.30 - Xu Huang [XL]
9.31 - Yue Ying [XL]
9.32 - Guan Ping [XL]
9.33 - Xiao Qiao [XL]
9.34 - Sun Jian [XL]
9.35 - Cao Pi [XL]
9.36 - Cao Cao [XL]
9.37 - Cao Ren [XL]
9.38 - Sun Shang Xiang [XL]
9.39 - Zhen Ji [XL]
9.40 - Huang Zhong [XL]
9.41 - Fu Xi [XL]
9.42 - Xiahou Yuan [XL]
9.43 - Taishi Ci [XL]
9.44 - Xu Zhu [XL]
9.45 - Dian Wei [XL]
9.46 - Zhu Rong [XL]
9.47 - Sun Ce [XL]
9.48 - Huang Gai [XL]
9.49 - Diao Chan [XL]
9.50 - Zhang Jiao [XL]
10.00 - Ideal Weapon Customizations (CAW) [XL]
10.01 - Bonus Attribute Chart
10.02 - Zhuge Liang [XL]
10.03 - Lu Bu [XL]
10.04 - Zhou Tai [XL]
10.05 - Zhao Yun [XL]
10.06 - Ma Chao [XL]
10.07 - Sun Jian [XL]
10.08 - Yuan Shao [XL]
10.09 - Pang De [XL]
10.10 - Zhang Liao [XL]
10.11 - Lu Meng [XL]
10.12 - Lu Xun [XL]
10.13 - Ling Tong [XL]
10.14 - Gan Ning [XL]
10.15 - Cao Ren [XL]
10.16 - Zuo Ci [XL]
10.17 - Xu Huang [XL]
10.18 - Liu Bei [XL]
10.19 - Wei Yan [XL]
10.20 - Da Qiao [XL]
10.21 - Xing Cai [XL]
10.22 - Sun Quan [XL]
10.23 - Sima Yi [XL]
10.24 - Zhang He [XL]
10.25 - Nu Wa [XL]
10.26 - Pang Tong [XL]
10.27 - Meng Huo [XL]
10.28 - Zhu Rong [XL]
10.29 - Guan Yu [XL]
10.30 - Xiahou Dun [XL]
10.31 - Zhang Fei [XL]
10.32 - Jiang Wei [XL]
10.33 - Guan Ping [XL]
10.34 - Yue Ying [XL]
10.35 - Cao Cao [XL]
10.36 - Taishi Ci [XL]
10.37 - Dong Zhuo [XL]
10.38 - Xiao Qiao [XL]
10.39 - Zhou Yu [XL]
10.40 - Cao Pi [XL]
10.41 - Sun Shang Xiang [XL]
10.42 - Zhen Ji [XL]
10.43 - Huang Zhong [XL]
10.44 - Diao Chan [XL]
10.45 - Xu Zhu [XL]
10.46 - Fu Xi [XL]
10.47 - Xiahou Yuan [XL]
10.48 - Dian Wei [XL]
10.49 - Zhang Jiao [XL]
10.50 - Huang Gai [XL]
10.51 - Sun Ce [XL]
11.00 - Musou Rage Token and Meat Bun Locations for All Other Stages
12.00 - Video Clip Directory
13.00 - Frequently Asked Questions
14.00 - Just for Fun
14.01 - My Favorite Characters
14.02 - Ten Fastest General Killers
14.03 - Character Normal Attack Ranking
14.04 - Killing Regular Generals in One Hit [XL]
14.05 - Ma Chao's God Tier Placement
14.06 - Dynasty Warriors 5 Musou Strength Ranking
15.00 - Thanks and Credits
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1.00 - Introduction
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This guide is designed to provide tips for playing on Chaos difficulty. But
rather what I'm aiming for are tips for mastering Chaos difficulty, and
using character to maximum potential. The real beauty in Chaos is that it's
much more realistic, in that you die after several hits. I intend to indulge
everyone to play and learn to love Chaos. Be advised that my methods only
emphasize character maximization. I've had complaints about charge attack
spamming in my videos. So, if you don't like character maximization in Chaos,
abusing the same offensive methods for a character, and tier lists, then kindly
stop reading.
I have omitted the use of healing bodyguards, as Chaos mode would be rendered
not so very chaotic, if whenever you are in low health your bodyguard just
bails you out. Since you are granted invincibility while performing a musou
attack, you have all that time for your bodyguard to heal you. Think of this
FAQ as a more of a challenge to beat it without relying on bodyguards. However,
starting off your first few levels in Chaos with healing bodyguards will surely
help you develop your skills much quicker. Health on the field should be
considered as minor freebies. Also the Tribal Remedy item is encouraged,
because you have to work hard to earn the life.
Only very brief walkthroughs for 5 star difficulty levels will be covered,
but this guide will include strategies/tips and indepth discussion with all
characters. There are nine 5 star difficulty levels in free mode. In musou mode,
there are a total of 13 extra 5 star difficulty levels. These levels are the
last levels of the certain unique musou modes that don't end with any of the 5
star levels that are already available in free mode. For example, Zhao Yun's
musou mode ends at Yi Ling; this is a 5 star level. The difficulty of these
final levels is equivalent to the 5 star levels in free mode. This guide will
contain only the 5 star levels in free mode. Only musou rage locations have
been provided for all stages.
99% of this guide is my work alone, so there should be many things that I may
have missed, and many things that can be contributed. I would be glad to hear,
and greatly look forward to hearing, any useful strategies that I have failed
to mention. If I find the tip/strategy to be useful, I will include it, and
give credit. My intention for this guide, is always, to improve it.
The writing style I will be using in this guide is informal writing. The
language I use is more colloquial, and intended to be treated as more of
a discussion or conversation between me and you, the reader. I'm quite
aware of the informal grammar, and that spammable isn't quite a word.
Many people may find it useful to read all the of character sections, sorted
by character. This is useful to see how each character changes throughout
all three analyses, Dynasty Warriors 5, Xtreme Legends, and then Full
Weapon Customization. Simple use the search tool with CTRL+F, and just
add a "- " before each character's name (with a space after the -)
This is how the titles of each character's subsection is done, so this
will allow for quick navigation.
Lastly, I've discovered a new nickname for me recently. Apparently, I am also
known as Joe Musou. I don't know how this came to exist, but I suppose I don't
mind it.
Please feel free to contact me if you would like to:
- provide better suggestions or tips, or even if you feel you have a better
video clip
- persuade me in making modifications in the tier list
(BEFORE you do so, please take the time to read the introduction of the tier
list where I have my tier list explicitly defined. And PLEASE, if you desire
to swap any two characters, at least have their sections read before-hand,
and have already viewed both their video clips)
- if you have any questions regarding my guide
- if you'd like Dynasty Warriors help outside the realm of Chaos mode
- or if you'd just like to chat about Dynasty Warriors in general
at www.jonnay_@hotmail.com. I will give full credit to providers of tips or
strategies that I find to be useful. Credit is only awarded to the first
provider of the same strategy.
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2.00 - Copyright
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
This guide was composed to be posted on, and only on www.gamefaqs.com
www.neoseeker.com.
This guide may not be reproduced and posted on any other site without my
written permission.
Violation of copyright is illegal and strictly prohibited.
Copyright 2005-2006 Jonathan Leung
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3.00 - Version History
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
0.90 - First submission of the Guide. About 90% completion.
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0.91 - Added section 6.23 - Unblockable Attacks and Xu Huang's Air Charge
Modifications to the tier list:
Zuo Ci up.
Jiang Wei up.
Sima Yi up.
Huang Zhong down.
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0.92 - Added section 10.0 - Just for Fun
Added section 6.24 - Disconnected Ground
Added more to intro to section 8.0
Updated several characters
Modifications to the tier list:
Guan Yu up.
Yue Ying up.
Xiahou Dun down.
Meng Huo up.
Xiahou Yuan down.
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0.93 - Added section 6.25 - Generals Approaching at a Distance
Added section 6.26 - Enemies that do not Flinch
Completed Sun Quan.
Modifications to the tier list:
Taishi Ci down.
Huang Zhong down.
Dian Wei down.
Sun Jian up.
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0.94 - Updated 6.23 - Unblockable Attacks
Added more to tier list introduction
Updated 6.22 - Attacks with High Height
Modifications to the tier list:
Zuo Ci up.
Zhang He up.
Meng Huo down.
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0.95 - Added requests for video clips, in section 8 - character tips...
A general update in the entire character tips section
Added video clip for proofs for: (Just for Fun section)
Countering counterattacks (DW4)
Continuous musou filling (DW3)
Charge Cancellation (Huang Zhong only)
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0.96 - Updated Zhou Tai
Video Clip additions:
Zhou Tai
Xu Huang
Lu Bu
Jiang Wei
Modifications to the tier list:
Huang Gai up.
Xu Huang up.
Zhang He up.
Updated Using the Bow attack and First charge simultaneously
(Huang Zhong)
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0.97 - Revised 5 fastest general killers to 10 (section 10.0)
Added section 6.27 - Weapon Power
Added section 6.28 - Weapon Weight Multiplier
Added section 6.29 - The Green Scroll
Added section 6.30 - Disadvantages of Having a Bodyguard
Added character summaries
Updated Taishi Ci
Updated Wei Yan
Modifications to the tier list:
Taishi Ci down.
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0.98 - Updated section 6.12 - Importance of the Counterattack
Modifications to the tier list:
Sun Ce down.
Pang De up.
Wei Yan up.
Updated Xu Huang
Updated Zhang Jiao
Updated Da Qiao
Updated Cao Cao
Added Section 6.31 - Unsuspected and Unwanted Displacement
Added Section 6.32 - Enemy Generals in Musou Rage
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0.99 - Added Musou Rage Locations for all maps
All Video Clips, and Character Sections finished
Modifications to the tier list:
Sun Jian down.
Sun Shang Xiang up.
Taishi Ci down.
Sima Yi up.
Pang De up.
Zhou Yu up.
Guan Ping down.
Xiahou Dun up.
Jiang Wei up.
1.00 - 100% completion of the guide
Entire Proofread and Update!
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1.01 - New update: This is just heads up, as I'm planning to make an
Xtreme Legends expansion. The Create-A-Warrior in Edit Mode and Destiny
Mode is what lead me to do this. There are many characters who are
ruined by their fourth weapons, and are much better with a different
weapon altogether, whether it be because of weapon weight or weapon
attribute or both. In Destiny Mode, it is possible to get a third weapon
with 5 attributes on it. On top of that, it is possible to raise the
numerical values of these attributes to the maximum of 20. Thus, it is
possible to create a character with the same moveset with better stats
to suit Chaos Mode more appropriately. This would however sacrifice
the musou rage tokens for ever 100 KO's that you would get with a
fourth weapon. Aside from these new and better possibilities with
Create-A-Warrior (I'll abbreviate it as CAW from here on), there are
some important changes with combat in Xtreme Legends: Characters will
now flinch for longer, musous are slightly extended, some charge attacks
now activate the elemental orbs when they didn't in Dynasty Warriors 5,
and there are a lot of new items. These would result in some changes
with using most of the characters, and a slightly different tier list.
I want to make an Xtreme Legends expansion, with notes on all the
characters, and new sections for the Fu Xi and Nu Wa movesets.
A new Xtreme Legends Tier List will be created. In addition to this,
I will also expand the Musou Rage Locations section, for all the new
stages in Legend Mode, and add the locations of all meat buns for
all the stages.
The stages included in section 7, level walkthroughs, are only 5-star
difficulty stages. Because I now want to include the location of musou
rages and meat buns in non 5-star levels, I have revised these sections,
but only the titles. Section 7 will have the 5-star difficulty stages,
and section 9 will include non 5-star stages. The new stages in Xtreme
Legends are all 5-star difficulty, so they will be in section 7.
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1.10 - There are Xtreme Legends expansions to my guide for each of the sections
and all of these will have a [XL] symbol, in the title of the
section/subsection.
Updated Sun Shang Xiang
Updated Pang De
Added section 5.1 - Changes in Xtreme Legends [XL]
Added section 6.32 - Ice Orb Probability
Added section 6.33 - The True Way of Musou
Added section 6.34 - The Dragon Arms
Completed Musou Rage Token and Meat Bun Locations for 5-star stages
Completed Musou Rage Token and Meat Bun Locations for all other stages
(sections 7, and 11)
My goals for the next update: (by Sept 06)
Several extra subsections for section 6: General Tips and Strategies
New section, section 9 - Character Walkthroughs for Xtreme Legends
Yes. This section will introduce a new tier list.
New section, section 10 - Create-A-Warrior
New section, section 11 - All-Emcompassing Tier List
New section, section 13 - Video Clip Directory
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1.11 - Updated Huang Zhong
Updated Diao Chan
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1.15 - Corrected properties of Power
Corrected Relative Attack Strengths Formula
Revised the Character Normal Attack Ranking
Completed Xtreme Legends Character subsections in section 9
from Lu Bu to Ling Tong
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1.20 - Added Fu Xi into section 9, and the tier list
Completed Xtreme Legends Character subsections in section 9
from Lu Bu to Zhang He
Updated Lu Meng in section 8
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1.30 - Added new subsection, 14.4 - Killing Generals in One Hit
Completed video clips for all characters in Xtreme Legends
please check them out on YouTube (go to section 9 for link)
Finished video clip notes up to
Revised section 6.1 - Suggested Items to Equip (worth a read)
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Feb05/07
1.31 - Haven't updated in a long time.
- Mainly tier list updates this time.
- There are now tons of videos on my YouTube account
- I want to announce addition of Weapon Weight Alternatives for all
characters in both DW5 and XL. The Tier Lists may seem a
little misleading sometimes because people may find it
really tedious to read my long definition. Because some
4th weapons aren't so great, different weight weight
alternatives may often be better. This should be the last
thing I want to add for completion of this guide, and perhaps
some other miscellaneous things for Just for Fun section.
I hope to resume in May, and hope to finish some time in the
Summer.
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Aug04/07
1.85 - Huge update, and overall guide revision
- Corrected Ice Orb Probability
- Ma Chao's God Tier placement theory
- Complete Revision of DW5 Tier List
- Xtreme Legends Analyses finished
- Complete Revision of DW5 XL Tier List
- Included Tier List Discussions for both DW5 and XL Tier Lists
- Included Preview of Full Customization Tier List
- Full Customization section, section 10, analyses left to be completed
and Tier List Discussion
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Aug23/07
2.00 - Full Customization Section complete
- All expansion sections to DW5 are complete
- Version 2.00 of this guide, and finalized version, complete.
- Added section 6.35 - Damage-Free Zone, contributed by Xiahou Jia
- Revised Wei Yan's section - mathematical analysis for deciding between
the Fire Orb and Ice Orb
- The same Fire Orb and Ice Orb analysis for Wei Yan applies to Xiahou Dun
- Included an explanation on how to juggle officers properly with Xu
Zhu's musou
- Diao Chan's safe C3 execution
- More on Cao Pi's Ice Orbs
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Feb20/08
2.05 - Corrected several typo errors
- Included a Musou Damage Ranking, and a link to the video showing this
ranking
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4.00 - Legend
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Here is a brief legend explaining the terminology that I'm going to use to
explain things in an easier way.
Attributes - these are all the stats present on items and weapons, as well as
each character's raw stats. The nine attributes in the game are defined
below.
Life - the amount of life, health, or hit points a character has
Musou - a strong special attack that grants invincibility, which is
unique to every character
Attack - overall strength of all attacks
Defense - magnitude of resistance against enemy attacks
Horse - the severity of attacks executed on a horse, and the magnitude
of resistance against enemy attacks while on a horse.
Bow - the severity of an arrow attack, and the magnitude of resistance
against enemy arrows.
Speed - the speed at which a character moves on foot when not
attacking.
Charge - the severity of all attacks executed by pushing the triangle
button.
*Note - the first attack of an evolution is a charge attack
*Note - charge attacks makes the enemy flinch while they are
charging for a musou attack. Because of this specific
flinching property, not all triangle attacks are
charge attacks, and thus do not cause flinching and
are not affected by the Herbal Remedy. ex. Zhen Ji's
normal charge
Fill - the rate at which the musou bar increases
Luck - raises probability of enemies dropping items such as meat buns,
defense x2 for 30 sec, attack x2 for 30 sec, speed x2 for 30
sec, and musou for 10 sec.
*Note - this does not include the musou rage
*Note - the appearance of meat buns on Chao difficulty is
excluded
Normal Attacks - all regular attacks that are executed by pushing the Square
button. This sort of attack is quick but weak, and is unaffected by the
Herbal Remedy item.
Charge Attacks - many special attacks that are executed by pushing the Triangle
button. This sort of attack requires time to charge, which is indicate
by a very brief white flash with a faint sound. It ranges from quick to
slow, and weak to strong. The severity of charge attacks are governed
by the Charge attribute, and may be increased by equiping the Herbal
Remedy Item. Not all attacks executed by the triangle button are
charge attacks.
Charge Attack Notation - I will use the popular short hand notation to
abbreviate charge attacks. Pressing triangle only would be C1,
a character's first charge attack. If S and T stand for square and
triangle, respectively, then SSST would be C4, and SSSSST would be
C6.
Jump Attack - the air attack done by pressing square while in mid-air
Jump Charge - the specific charge attack done by pressing triangle while in
mid-air.
Horse Charge - the charge attack done while on horseback.
Running Attack - the special attack done by pressing square after running for
6 steps
*Note - activating the musou rage resets your steps to 0
Evolution Attacks - the extra 4 attacks added onto to the regular 6 normal
attack string. The moveset ends at 5 normal attacks, and then begins a
new string of 4 evolution attacks, making a total of 9 attacks. Some
unique characters have 10 attacks....or rather 9 attacks but 10
individual strikes, for example Diao Chan.
True Musou - A version of the musou attack where it's fire elemental. The
ending is different and is in most cases better and/or stronger.
Execution Time - the time it takes to execute an attack (usually charge attack)
Recovery Time - the time it takes to recover, and be able to attack again
after executing an attack.
Counter - a counterattack perform by pressing triangle while holding L1, just
as an enemy strikes you.
*Note - a failed counterattack results in a brief studder,
where you will be vulnerable to enemy attack.
Range - how much coverage an attack has. 360 degree strikes have the best
range, while jabbing or vertical attacks have the worst. Keep in mind
range will generally refer to horizontal radial range, and not vertical
range. Height does play a small role in the effectiveness of attacks,
but essentially, it's the horizontal range that is important. If you
want to consider it in Cartesian Coordinates, only x and y are
are important, and not too much for the z.
Reach - how much distance an attack covers. Spear guys like Lu Bu have the most
reach and fan characters like Zhuge Liang have the worst.
Juggling - the act of keeping opponents in the air by continuously attacking
them.
Scatter Attack - any attack that results in enemies flying into other enemies.
This happens when the "enemies that you don't hit" get pushed back, by
the "enemies that you do hit." This would then create a "scattering
effect" where many enemies would be pushed back
*Note - the C4 for most of the characters is a
scattering attack.
*Note - the enemies that are pushed back receive no
damage, and have nothing to do with the attack
attribute.
*Note - your allies cannot be pushed back or scattered, and
therefore are unaffected by scattering attacks.
Flinching - the short period of time when a character is being hit and is
unable to move, jump, block, or attack
*Note - the Arm Guards item nullifies flinching when
performing charge attacks, but note that damage will
still be dealt, unlike what it says on the item
description in the game
*Note - some playable characters are immune to flinching while
they are performing charge attacks even without the
Arm Guards equipped, for example Dian Wei. These
characters can be considered to have default Arm Guards
equipped, therefore equipping Arm Guards on them would
do nothing.
*Note - Characters that have shields are even better, as they
are immune to flinching during their charge attacks,
AND their normal attacks. This means that whenever they
are attacking in any way, when PLANTED on the ground,
(non-aerial attacks) they will never flinch from enemy
normal attacks. Note in particular that only charge
attacks will cause these characters to flinch.
Obviously, they will still receive damage. An example
of this is Xing Cai.
*Note - while in musou rage, all playable characters are immune
to flinching when attacked by normal attacks
Stunning - the act of knocking enemies off balance, but only for a very short
time. Ex. Zhao Yun's C3, or Ma Chao's C3 or C6.
Disorientating - the act of knocking enemies into a dizzy state, where
characters are unable to act for a longer period of time than if they
were to be stunned. Ex. Zuo Ci's C3.
Crowds - When I say crowds, it is normally referred to large groups of enemy
foot soldiers, or peons as some people like to call them.
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5.00 - General Information and Basics of Chaos Difficulty
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With respect to Hard difficulty, the enemy's defense is doubled, and their
attack is quadrupled in Chaos. This is much more challenging than hard mode,
since their attack is quadrupled.
Meat Buns are very scarce. There are only a few meat buns on each map, which
only give you +50 health. The location of these are the same as all the Full
Recovery pickups in all other difficulty levels. These locations will be noted
in the level walkthroughs section.
It seems that there are consistently 3 meat buns in each map, not
including ones that are in supply bases. However, Bai Castle has 4, which is
somewhat bizarre.
Also, I have found that some supply bases harbour two meat buns or more.
This is likely a preset probability. I have seen four meat buns in a
supply base before, but only once in all my experience of playing this game.
I don't have the statistics, but an approximation from pure experience is
somewhere around 5% for two meat buns, while three and four would be likely
under 1% chance.
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5.01 - Changes in Xtreme Legends [XL]
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There are several changes in Xtreme Legends:
The flinching time is slightly extended, and this goes for both you and the
AI. There are probably more cons than pros because of this. Because you will
now flinch for a longer period of time, it is much harder survive in Chaos
Mode. The good thing about this, is that since enemy generals will now flinch
for slightly longer, many charge attacks that have long execution times will
hit successfully, and connect without the general interrupting it. This changes
the strategic ways of using all the characters slightly. But there are some
characters like Xiahou Yuan who are way better because of this change in
Xtreme Legends.
Heavy weapon wielders now gain the property of immunation to flinching. This
is extremely useful in Hard Mode, but of little use in Chaos Mode. Thus,
all characters with heavy weapons will not flinch when executing any attacks of
their own. This goes for all characters. On a side note, the two characters
with shields, Xing Cai and Cao Ren both have this innate ability to be immune
to flinching, regardless of weapon weight.
All stages in Legend Mode have the difficulty of a 5-star stage. The
attack/defense etc properties are the same or very similar. The best way to
prove this is simple; just load your Dynasty Warriors 5 into Xtreme Legends,
by going to Load Original, and play a 5-star stage in Free Mode, on any
difficulty setting. The number of bonus upgrades that you get after completing
the stage is the same as you would get in any stage on that same difficulty,
in Legend Mode. More detail will be covered on these "Bonus Upgrades" in
section 10.
There are many new items added in Xtreme Legends, and the important ones will
be covered in section 6.
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6.00 - General Tips and Strategies for Handling Chaos Difficulty
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This section covers a lot of the basics, useful properties, and general
tips for Chaos Mode.
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6.01 - Suggested Items to Equip
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The main objective of this sub-section is to clarify my view of the
uselessness of equipping the Peacock Amulet, and the Tortoise Amulet. The Tiger
Amulet, Green Scroll, Wind Scroll, and Ginseng are the best choices. I'm
convinced that it's hard for most people to realize and accept this.
My videos also show a clear advantage for having all items devoted to
maximizing offensive power. For the many characters like Zhao Yun or Xu Huang,
who have long reach and wide range, defensive items are almost completely
useless. You have the Tiger Amulet and Green Scroll for maximum attack power;
you have the Wind Scroll to maximize reach; you have the Ginseng for faster
musou filling. A character's musou can be thought of as a defense. Since attack
power is maximized, musou filling become much easier.
In a sense, my proposition can be described by the cliche, "The Best Offense is
the Best Defense."
Here is some indepth logical reasoning to explain the uselessness of
defensive items, namely, the Peacock Amulet, and the Tortoise Amulet.
The biggest reason why these items are close to useless is because of the
fact that meat buns on the field are limited. Limited to a minimum of 3
meat buns. Increasing a character's defense would only allow for that character
to sustain a few more hits, and it's that simple; a "few" is the key word
here. This is testable by the way: Sun Quan with my "ideal" set up, takes
roughly 4 hits from peons to perish. Giving him more life or defense will
increase this to perhaps 8 hits. Keep in mind that these are specifically hits.
If one general along with two elite guards attack you at the same time, you're
a goner. This situation is indeed possible and frequent enough to deserve
to be mentioned.
After reasoning purely with technicalities, some may want and prefer a
realistic example instead: Beginning by first addressing the abstract of
this example, many characters in Xtreme Legends are able to kill regular
generals in simply one full musou, even on Chaos Mode. Being able to do this
is, in itself, a great defense, as you don't even have to engage in a real
fight with the general. Taking Zhao Yun for example, his recommended item
configuration is Tiger Amulet, Green Scroll, Wind Scroll, True Way of Musou,
Way of Musou. A "typical" item configuration which includes the two defensive
items Peacock Amulet and Tortoise Amulet, would likely have these in the place
of Way of Musou, and obviously the Green Scroll. So now, Zhao Yun is able to
sustain more hits, perhaps three times more. But, now he is far from being
able to kill generals in one musou, it takes more effort and larger crowds to
fill his musou, crowd clearing in general becomes much harder, and the
non-360-degree ending of his regular musou will likely leave him in
vulnerable situations.
Here is an even better example: Huang Zhong and Xiahou Yuan can be considered
to have very similar movesets. (Identical 1st, 2nd, and 3rd normal attacks,
C1 is archery, identical C4's, similar C5's that
have similar reach and attack range and able to hit generals regardless of
blocking, a C6 with similar attack range, and very similar musous)
Huang Zhong with his light 4th weapon lies on one extreme end with
one of the lowest attacks, but high defense, and Xiahou Yuan is on the other
end, with very high attack but poor defense (in Dynasty Warriors 5 only).
Thorough experience with both should easily conclude their differences. The
video clips in this guide are good visual backups for this claim.
I do recommend defensive items at times in this guide and it is very
special cases, and it is to achieve what I call a "Special Defense".
Cao Ren is the only character in Dynasty Warriors 5 capable of this sort of
special defense. His 4th weapon is designed purposely to be devoted to
defense. His entire moveset is devoted to defense with protective
attacks and the non-flinching ability. His only problem is that he has
short reach. However, Cao Ren should be consider to have a decent defense
because his high defense stats, can be made useful if he doesn't flinch
from normal attacks. Because he's also attacking, he'll receive slightly
less hits, so he's less prone to a entire chain of continuous slashes.
And if he does get hit, he'll only be scratched.
Additionally, if you insist on a defensive item, the Tribal Remedy is more
useful than the Peacock Amulet and the Tortoise Amulet. The Tribal Remedy
disregards the notion of limited meat buns on the field. Well techincally,
it isn't unlimited, but much more than normal. Going back to Sun Quan's
example, giving him the Tortoise Amulet would allow him to sustain two extra
hits, then acquiring a 300 KO count will approximately equal the Tortoise
Amulet already. Further health after this, explains the usefulness of
the Tribal Remedy.
There is one exception: the Dragon Arms item should also be considered as
a defense item. The Dragon Arms may be extremely useful for some characters.
The difference between the Dragon Arms and the two items Peacock Amulet and
Tortoise Amulet, is that the Dragon Arms reduces the chances of getting hit
by eliminating charge recovery times, and other two increases the number of
times you can get hit before you die.
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6.02 - The Somersault, or Reorientation
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This is a very basic skill. If you are hit into the air, tap L1 as you hit the
ground and you will perform a somersault to quickly flip and reorientate
yourself. If you are knocked high into the air, just keep tapping L1 and you
will do the somersault at the peak position when in the air.
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6.03 - Eliminate or Avoid Archers
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Archers are a real pain if you're fighting in crowds or running from crowds.
Their bow attacks are quite strong on Chaos. The flinch from being hit by an
arrow will cancel your attack while you are attacking, or temporarily stop you
while you are running away from crowds and will allow much time for enemies to
attack you.
A good way to fight smartly in the range of battlefield archers (not archer
towers) is to make use of what I like to call, the ally shielding effect. Non-
piercing attacks, like arrows, will not pierce through anything. This means
that an arrow will stop at the very first thing it strikes, and this means
anything considered opaque in the game. So enemy archers are of no threat at
all, if there is even one thing blocking an arrow's straight-line path to you.
So under circumstances like when fighting massive crowds, you really don't
have to worry too much about those pesky archers. This is useful until you
scatter crowds with attacks or musous.
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6.04 - Target Majors
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Majors are the leaders of the peons which come in groups of fives.
Try to set your targets on these types of peons in large crowds because they
attack way more frequently, and when they do they usually do more hits than
privates. Similarly, this applies to Elite Guards, Gate Captains and
Guard Captains.
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6.05 - Attacking Enemies When They are in the Air
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When you attack enemies while they are in mid-air, in better terminology
juggling them, all damage is cut down by half. Although it is safer to fight
enemies when they are in the air, (since they can't block or fight back) it is
more practical to fight enemies when they are planted on the ground, because
of full damage.
However in some cases it may be more practical to juggle a general, with the
combination of fire, depending on the weapon weight and attacking speed of the
character you are using.
This fact is the reason to avoid certain characters' true musous. For example,
Zhang Liao, or Taishi Ci. They're true musous even though have fire, deal only
half the damage of their regular musous.
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6.06 - Keep Your Enemies in Front of You
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This may seem like common sense, but it is crucial in Chaos as your goal is to
never get hit. Blocking becomes an unavailable option when surrounded. Also
when surrounded, all the people behind you (that are visible on the screen)
cover the people in front of you, so you cannot see them in order to counter
them. This strategy makes stages like Chi Bi very easy, as the links between
all the boats are often narrow enough to keep your enemies in front of you. But
even if in other stages, you can use walls to your advantage, thus limiting
the directions that enemies can come from. A very good strategy is to fight
inside ally bases, like in Wu Zhang Plains of Wei's Side. There are three
defense bases to protect. Standing right at the entrance of a base gives you
extremely good defense, since no enemies will be coming from behind or on your
sides. You may keep doing scattering attacks or projectile attacks, and
quickly rack up kills for getting musou rages.
Even though your enemies are in front of you when you are attack them, having
them out of your view is just as dangerous. Try to make good use of the L1
button to toggle the camera to view the angle from behind you. A good example
for this is attacking generals when they are out of the view of the TV screen
(when the camera isn't toggled behind you). Even though it's apparent to you
that they aren't blocking, it is quite possible that they are charging to
execute a musou attack. You will blinded by this if you can't see them.
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6.07 - Characters With Two Weapons
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Many of the characters with two weapons benefit from increased attack range,
and double damage. It's also a fact that some attacks count as two hits, thus
giving a combo of 2. Generally speaking, learn the unique attacks that involve
the use of both weapons. For attacking range, the best example would be Xiao
Qiao's C4. It covers awesome reach, with a potential range of 360
degrees. Even so, Xiao Qiao's normal attack string has quite compromising
range. The most important aspect of some double weaponed characters is the
increase of damage. Learn these moves and abuse them. The best example is
Taishi Ci, and others include Pang De, Diao Chan, Xiao Qiao, Da Qiao and
Lu Xun. Both Taishi Ci and Diao Chan's jump charge can kill privates in one hit.
Every part of Lu Xun's C3 does a lot of damage. With Xiao Qiao and
Da Qiao, if you successfully hit with both fans (indicated by a +2 in the combo
counter) the damage is indeed doubled. As for Pang De, his C5 deals
massive damage.
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6.08 - Fighting Near Enemy Bases
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Attack bases can deal a lot of damage to you if you are in the range of their
projectiles. The range is actually quite far too, so either fight right along
the outside edges of the base, or inside the base.
Fighting outside defense bases is still a threat, because there are archers on
the corners of the base.
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6.09 - Fighting in Ally Supply Bases
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When the situations are met, fighting inside ally supply bases may give you
full life recovery. One of the 2 gate captains on each side of the base must
be defeated. This opens up the gates to allow enemies in. When enemies are
inside, the guard captain as well as his men will fight. From time to time,
the guard captain will use either attack X2, defense X2, or +200 life. +200
life is what you want here. A good example of this in Bai Di Castle on Shu
Forces. When Gan Ning arrives, and starts to penetrate the area near the
supply base, around the position of Huang Zhong's initial starting position,
the gates are likely to be opened. Luring Gan Ning into the base is an easy
kill, as well as a good chance for full life recovery. Although, I think there
is a limit of how many times this occurs, which I had not yet put time into
figuring out.
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6.10 - Keep Your Eye on the Detailed Map
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Very self-explanatory. It would be quite stupid to be fighting in melee while
toggled on the large field map. Many moves do not have 360 degree range so you
should rely on the map to tell you where your enemies are and how close they
are to you.
Additionally, this detailed map may assist you with some attacks in which
you have no control over the toggling of the camera. Two good examples of this
are Sima Yi's and Gan Ning's musou. Since you can't control the camera in
Sima Yi's musou, just use the detailed map to tell you where to direct his
beams. Many people find it hard to control Gan Ning's musou; I believe the
main reason why it is so hard is because the camera angles are almost never
in the preferred places. On the detailed map, Gan Ning's musou is much easier
to control because you get, in a sense, a bird's eye view. Once you've used
Gan Ning's musou enough times you'll practically have it's speed memorized,
and you can almost completely rely on the detailed map.
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6.11 - The Musou Rage
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The Musou Rage doubles both your attack and defense. A regular Musou
Rage lasts 15 seconds, and when you have the Demon Band equipped, a Musou Rage
will last for 30 seconds. However, a Musou Rage will never end during a musou.
So if the 15 seconds of your musou rage ends when you are in the middle of a
musou, you will still be in Musou Rage, and the Musou Rage will last until your
musou is finished. You will be notified that your Musou Rage will end soon,
by the Musou Token Icon at the bottom left corner of the screen; it will start
spinning faster.
In a Musou Rage, you will be immune to flinching from all normal attacks, and
bow attacks, but you will still flinch if you get hit by charge attacks or
musou attacks.
The characters who benefit most from musou rages are the ones with heavy fourth
weapons. During a musou rage your attacking speed is maximized regardless of
your weapon weight. Since characters with light weapons already attack really
fast, the musou rage upgrades this only a tiny bit. Whereas the attacking speed
of characters with heavy fourth weapons are totally transformed to the speed of
being slightly faster than their attacking speed if they were to be equipped
with a light weapon. This is because the attacking speed when in musou rage for
each character depends on each character's unique attacking speed regardless of
weapon weight. So what I mean is, Ling Tong by default is the fastest attacker,
and Pang De by default is the slowest attacker; when in musou rage, Ling Tong
will always be the fastest attacker, and likewise Pang De will always be the
slowest ranked attacker; thus this is totally independant of weapon weight, and
solely dependant on each character's default attacking speed.
So in the game, there are essentially four different attacking speeds for all
characters:
1. Heavy attacking speed (when equipped with a heavy weapons)
2. Normal attacking speed (when equipped with weapons of medium weight)
3. Light attacking speed (when equipped with light weapons)
4. Musou Rage speed (attacking when in musou rage).
Characters with heavy weapons benefit way more from musou rages also because of
their stronger attacking power. The best example of this is Diao Chan, whom is
very useless in melee combat, but unbelievably destructive when in musou rage.
For the reason that light weapons decrease attacking power, and heavy weapons
increase attacking power, characters with heavy weapons benefit more from musou
rages, because they are so much stronger.
So to elaborate my points, characters with light weapons attack slightly
faster, transitioning only from their light attacking speed to Musou Rage
speed, and have the weakest attacking power relative to all characters;
conversely, characters with heavy weapons attack way faster, transitioning from
Heavy attacking speed to Musou Rage speed, and have the strongest attacking
power relative to all characters.
This may seem like common sense, but try to save musou rages for generals and
large crowds. If you are close to getting the next hundred kills and still have
a musou rage token to spend, try to make good use of the one you are carrying,
to avoid wasting a musou rage. Also, make good use of the musou rage tokens
from crates, or dropped by elite guards. A good time to make use of these
tokens are right at the beginning of battle, or when you have a musou rage
token when you are far from the next 100 kills.
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6.12 - The Importance of the Counterattack
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Not too many people are fond of this great feature, or even understand how to
use it. It is actually incredibly useful as it will grant you an automatic
counterattack that has the scattering effect, and also grants you temporary
invincibility. For those of you who don't know yet, a counterattack is
performed by pressing triangle while holding L1. This is convenient because
you'll be holding L1 anyway when blocking, and all you have to do is read the
enemies' attacks and press triangle accordingly to successfully time and
trigger a counterattack. In situations where you don't have a fully charged
musou bar, and you know you're about to get hit, counterattacking is your only
choice.
The counterattack is tested to be blockable, but can and will be considered
unblockable in this FAQ, because while a counterattack is performed, the AI
interprets it that you are not in blocking state or attacking state, and will
never attempt to block your counterattack. All counterattacks are scattering
attacks. I suppose you can understand so far, the importance of the
counterattack; it nullifies the attack that you counter, nullifies all attacks
directed at you while you are counterattacking (except musou attacks), it is
unblockable, and it has the scattering effect. The main point is that
counterattacks save you from being hit while buying you little time to escape.
Counterattacks however, can be canceled if a general does a musou attack on
you. This means that the counterattack is vulnerable only to enemy general
musous.
Once you have mastered counterattacking, you can counter all normal attacks,
and most charge attacks; however, when blocking suscessive attacks done by an
enemy general, counterattacking in between the general's attack string is only
possible with very few normal attacks, but most charge attacks. Generally, what
governs this is execution time. Since the execution time for charge attacks is
normally much longer than that of normal attacks, charge attacks are generally,
much easier to counterattack. Yes, this means that it is possible to
counter against generals while they are performing a chain of only normal
attacks, and you would therefore interrupt their attack string. Examples of
this are most of the slow characters; so theoretically, Xu Zhu or Pang De would
be the easiest characters to defeat because their slow normal attacks are no
match against you if you have mastered counterattacking. Most, or I think
maybe even all of Xu Zhu's and Pang De's normal attacks are counterable. So
whenever they are attacking you while you are blocking, just randomly choose
any of their hits and counter it. Some not so obvious characters would be Lu
Meng, or Zhang Liao, whose second normal attacks can (believe it or not) be
very easily countered. It is also possible to counter Lu Bu's third, fourth,
fifth, and sixth normal attack. Making him not so much of a mighty warrior
afterall. But on the far side of the other end, Ling Tong would be virtually
uncounterable.
Another useful tip is that you can counter all parts of a musou attack except
ones that are shooting, like Zhuge Liang's. You can counter anyone's final
slash of their musou attack, as long as it's not shooting, or bombing (in Huang
Gai's and Huang Zhong's Case). This becomes a useful strategy in situations
where a general is doing his/her musou, with a large crowd behind him/her.
This way, you'll scatter many of the peons, or maybe even send them all flying
far (depending on which character you are using), leaving the general all
alone directly beside you for some temporary one on one. However, this is safe
only for characters who have fast counterattacks; Ma Chao and Zhang Fei are
very good examples. The speed of the counterattack must be faster than the
time it takes for the enemy general to recover from his/her musou. I'm sure
that you can imagine why Lu Bu's counterattack would not be a good idea for
countering musous.
There are however many things that cannot be counterattacked:
1. Arrows
2. Fireballs (ex. Jiang Wei's true musou)
3. Bombs (ex. Huang Gai's C1 and Huang Zhong's true musou)
4. Beams (ex. Zhuge Liang's musou)
5. Charge Orbs (ex. Zuo Ci's C1)
6. Earthquake Type Charges (ex. Zhang Fei's C1 or C6)
7. Shockwave Type Charges (ex. ending of Zhang Fei's C3, or
the ending of Lu Bu's true musou)
8. Tornado Type Charges (ex. Guan Yu's C5, or the ending
of Guan Yu's true musou)
9. Zhang Jiaos Fire charges cannot be countered.
Another important reason to counterattack, is that some attacks are
unblockable. Good examples of these are Zhou Tai's C6 (when charged
further), and Xu Huang's air charge. On a side note however, I have not yet
witnessed Zhou Tai controlled by the AI doing this move though, but the only
way to avoid it would be to jump away from it, attack him when he is busy
charging, or counterattack him.
For many characters, after their musou is usually a time that generals
want to attack. This is in the case that the ending of the musou gets blocked.
If the character's musou has relatively long recovery, generals will always
attack you right after your musou ends. This is apparent for most of the
characters in the game. While this differs slightly for all characters, this
following tip works well with the majority of them. Usually, when a general
blocks the ending of your musou, he/she will begin attacking right away.
What normally happens is that their first normal attack will always not hit
because you are still invincible from the musou. The second attack however,
will successfully hit, and often, the timing of this attack cannot be blocked.
The game gives earlier priority to counterattacking, than blocking. Often
the only way to get out of this situation is to counterattack. This is very
effective, and very easy to anticipate in the non-playable generals, except
for the ones with spears. This is because they attack much faster. For
playable characters, the same sort of idea applies; characters like Ling Tong
would probably kill you if he blocks the ending of your musou.
Lastly, whenever groups or enemies do a simultaneous jump attack, usually from
all directions, your only choice really is to counterattack, if you do not have
a fully charged musou. This however, requires precise timing.
*Interesting Fact - In Dynasty Warriors 4, it is possible to counter
counterattacks. Yes, this means that you can play in versus
mode with another friend, and keep countering each other until
one messes up. This only works with certain character pair-ups.
Have a look at my counter counterattacks video on YouTube.
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6.13 - The Art of True Juggling
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Although damage is reduced by half when juggling, it may be a good
strategy when done in conjunction with the Fire Orb. I don't know why juggling
seems to be so popular, but keep in mind that attacking generals on foot
will always be faster than juggling them with fire. This applies only to
regular generals though. Generals with high defense, like the enemy
commander, and those overpowered generals like Xing Cai and
Ma Chao in the Battle of Bai Di Castle. This is practically the only time
that juggling with fire is recommended.
Many people are already aware that it is possible to keep a enemy in the air by
continuously using the C2, or the C5. But if this is done
on an enemy general. They are able to escape it, by somersaulting when hit high
into the air. This is due to hitting generals too high. It is possible to
minimize this evade rate of the enemy, and keep them in the air, thus keeping
them on fire. The trick is to not use charge attacks like the C5,
but to use only normal attacks....yes only the square button. All characters
are able to juggle without the use of charge attacks. Fast attacking characters
like Zhen Ji, are able to keep doing four normal attacks against a general in
the air, and keep repeating it. What happens is you hit the enemy
generals high enough to restart hitting them again just as they touch the
ground, but low enough that they are unable to escape it. Even though they do
touch the ground, they bounce a little, which allows a little bit of time to
follow up with continuous attacks.
Evolution attacks are perfect to prolong the time that the enemy general is in
the air. A good tip is to attack an enemy general while they are on foot, and
keep going with the evolution attacks, but stop at the third evolution attack,
thus not completing a full moveset. If you follow this exactly, and the enemy
general is on the ground, the third evolution attack will always knock the
enemy into the air. Since the third evolution attack isn't a charge attack, it
won't activate the Fire Orb to set them on fire, but this tip is useful for the
characters who have a C1 that deploys a fire orb.
Some characters are capable of juggling infinitely many times without the
general ever escaping. Zhen Ji and Guan Yu are capable of doing this.
The only characters that are weak with juggling is Diao Chan with her fourth
weapon, and Pang Tong and Zhang Jiao. Also some characters like Xu Huang
cannot follow up with juggling after the third evolution attack, because of
slow recovery time.
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6.14 - Manually Increasing Your Attack Range
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This is a very minor tip that will decrease the chances of getting hit.
Unlike Dynasty Warriors 4, there is no more lock on, when attacking an enemy;
so you can move freely when attacking, instead of being locked in a straight
line. Use this obviously to your advantage with turning in the direction of
your attack. This works best with characters that attack slowly, or characters
that have successive attacks that go in the same direction. For example, you
can greatly increase Xu Zhu's attack range by turning right during his first
normal attack and then turning left during his second normal attack, and so on.
Taishi Ci is a good example of successive attacks going in the same direction.
His third and fourth normal attacks strike from right to left, so turning left
for both these attacks immensely increases the range. This is for increasing
the range of normal attacks slightly.
Some charge attacks are potentially 360 degrees, like Xiao Qiao's C4
and Dian Wei's C4. It's all about the steering.
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6.15 - The Non-Playable Spear General
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The enemy generals that carry spears, for example, Guan Xing in Wu Zhang
Plains, have a very similar moveset as Ma Chao's. What's important to note is
that their normal jump attack, like Ma Chao's, covers front and back. When
facing these generals, the AI seems to like jumping behind you and doing this
air attack. This attack is hard to counter, and even harder to quickly turn
around and block. The best way to escape it when you see one of these generals
jump into the air is to quickly do your own air attack. Since they do their
jump attack just before they land behind you, there is a lot of time to pull of
a quick jump attack of your own. This is the biggest caution when fighting
spear generals.
Another point that makes these generals harder to fight is that it is harder
to counterattack them after missing them with a musou attack. This is also
covered in the counterattacks section above.
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6.16 - A Cheap Method of Defeating Generals with Ease
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Many of you have probably noticed this already. Generals for some reason, don't
block right when they get up from lying on the ground. I can guarantee, that
if you start attack right when a general is getting up, you'll always
successfully hit him/her. This strategy is deadly, if it is done with the
normal jump attack. Most of the jump attacks are super quick, and hit
enemies off their feet. Also some characters' have the common C1 that causes
a 360 degree quake, that deals very little damage, but lifts
enemies off their feet. Because of this strategy, there is often no need to
juggle a general, even with fire. Most characters will kill generals much
faster on foot, because of full damage. Juggling at half damage along with the
slow depletion of fire, will almost always be slower.
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6.17 - The Reasons For Choosing the Ice Orb or the Fire Orb
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Some of the more mediocre characters who have really good C4's that
have the scattering effect like Sun Ce need to rely on these moves to scatter
the enemy. When equipped with the Ice Orb, Sun Ce's C4 becomes less
safe, because some of the peons won't be hit back because they'll be
frozen. Enemies behind these frozen peons won't be scattered, thus will
be able to freely attack him during his recovery time. Using Sun Ce is
somewhat of a bad example because I have recommended the Ice Orb for him,
because his musou deals double damage against frozen generals. The main point
is that for these sorts of characters, who need to abuse certain scattering
charge attacks, keep in mind that ice will hinder the scattering effect.
The Fire Orb also becomes more useful than the Ice Orb, against generals with
extremely high defense, for example Lu Bu. When Lu Bu is frozen you'll still
be doing very little damage to him, so relying on the fire orb to eat away his
health while juggling him is the better alternative. Since I'm only covering
five star difficulty levels, characters like Ma Chao in the stage Bai Di
Castle, is a good example, of an officer with high defense.
Converse to the above, characters with medium or heavy weapons will
almost definitely be better when equipped with the Ice Orb. You probably
wouldn't ever choose to do half damage by juggling, when you can do full
damage by attacking normally. In this case, since these characters are strong
enough, the damage caused by fire is insufficient to compensate for the other
half, when juggling enemies. So Icing them allows you to kill way faster.
The biggest advantage with equipping the Ice Orb is the fact that damage dealt
while enemies are in mid-air is halved. Many characters' musous or true musous
automatically knock enemies into the air. However, this can be avoided if you
had frozen an enemy general prior to executing your musou attack. This is a
great way to double the damage your musou attack. Some characters like Zhou Yu,
can kill generals in literally under 10 seconds, just by doing a musou
while generals are frozen. Because of the Ice Orb, Gan Ning is able to kill
an enemy officer from full health, in under a second. (refer to section 14)
Also, it is much more convenient when peons are frozen after not scattering
charge attacks. Zhang Liao's C6 without ice will hurl peons outwards.
This obviously isn't a big deal, but most efficiency is gained with the Ice
Orb.
For the reasons stated above, the Ice Orb generally gives you a better edge at
defeating both foot soldiers and generals.
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6.18 - Having Your Back Facing a General
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When fighting generals, if you have your back facing them, they will never
block. This is a huge advantage for some characters.
Characters with very wide range, for example Wei Yan has a first normal
attack as a slash that is almost horizontal that goes from left to right. So
the left blade of his double voulge goes from left to right directly in front
of him, which means that his right blade would travel from his right side to
little bit behind him (Sorry if you can't picture this). This way it is easy
to hit generals when your back is facing them. Another great example are the
two Qiaos. Characters with two weapons, are similar to the Wei Yan example
above. The two Qiaos have some really good range in their normal attacks to
successfully hit generals while having your back facing them. But this is just
a very minor tip with facing away from your enemies. Even though this is subtle
as it would be impractical to ever fight generals without facing them, this
paragraph should be considered more of a proof.
More importantly, many charge attacks require execution times that are quite
long. If the execution time is too long, enemy generals are capable of breaking
your attack string, by blocking, or attacking you during your execution time.
However, you can successfully land these sort of charge attacks, by facing your
back to the general. I'll use Guan Yu as an example to explain this. Guan Yu's
C6 has an execution time that is long enough for a general to block
or to retaliate. But if you turn your back against the general during your
execution time, Guan Yu takes a step forward (which is one step away from the
general if you're back is facing the general). This creates enough distance to
make the charge attack successful, because the general is farther away from
you. Since you aren't facing the general, he/she will never block. Regarding
charge attacks however, this strategy does not work for all characters.
Characters who don't take a step forward, like Cao Pi with his C5,
are very incapable of doing this trick, but still possible.
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6.19 - Taking Advantage of Certain Solid Objects
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Not a very useful tip, but an interesting one. Some objects, like large castle
gates, will set off charge orbs immediately after being deployed.
So if you do a C1 with Cao Pi while facing a castle gate, the
ice projectile will explode right after it's deployed. This is useful since,
you do not have to wait for the projectile to explode.
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6.20 - Outside Boundaries
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This precaution is mainly for the level Chi Bi. If you land an attack that is
outside the boundary of the floor, it will not be performed. For example, if
you do Ling Tong's C4 standing at the very end of a ship, with his
foot landing outside of the ship, the entire charge sequence (the stomp) does
not get executed.
Similarily if you direct any attack towards an outside boundary of a level, it
will get cancelled just as it hits the boundary. For example, Wei Yan's C5 will
end just as it reaches a wall, or the end of the side of a ship.
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6.21 - Attacks with High Height
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Many moves that have relatively high height result in less range than what we
actually see. A good example to describe what I mean by high height, is
considering Guan Yu's C4, and C6. Both their execution times are
close enough to be the same. But you'll notice that when juggling enemies,
his C4 will likely always miss, while his C6 always
successfully hits. This concludes that moves with low height are more
dependable than moves with high height.
Keep in mind that this is the general case when fighting only on flat land.
When fighting on incline slopes, attacks with high height may be better, while
attacks with low height are better on decline slopes.
Attacks with low height if they are too low cannot hit generals on horse.
So attacks with high height are most effective in this case.
To wrap things up, attacks with essentially infinite height are the most
useful. These are charge attacks, as normal attacks are slashes with specific
height. An example is Pang Tong's C6, or his musou.
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6.22 - Unblockable Attacks
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As there are very many attacks that can be considered unblockable when used
against the AI for the reasons that:
(1) The attack (usually charge attack) reaches behind the blocking general.
(2) The execution time of the attack (usually charge attack) is so long that
the AI will think it is save enough to attack, but always fails
because your charge is still faster. (This is somewhat hard to
explain; a good example of this is Pang De's C5. It
always works against generals because of what I've described above.
(3) The attack is simply unblockable. For example, Xu Huang's jump charge.
(4) The attack (normal attacks and charge attacks) has so much reach and range
that generals do not block. For example, Lu Bu's first normal attack
when used against a general at maximum reach, (the tip of the reach).
Zhang Fei's C3, done at a correct distance, where the
general is at the very tip of the shockwave.
Now with that said, since we have tons of moves that the AI cannot block, we
should consider the moves of the AI that we cannot block.
Xu Huang's air charge is unblockable. That's all there is to it. If you are
fighting Xu Huang (perhaps at He Fei Castle) and you see that he jumps into
the air, you better run, musou, or counterattack.
Sima Yi's True Musou ending is unblockable. Yes...it is. Which is very cheap,
because you also cannot counterattack it. Also, if you are too close to him,
(in between his fans and where his lasers come out) you cannot block. This is
exactly the same as if you were Sima Yi and did you musou against a general up
close (and I mean very close) The general would end up sandwiched, and trapped
in his musou.
Not that this attack is unblockable, but Huang Gai's and Huang Zhong's bombs
when thrown behind you cannot be blocked. Even though it is blockable, it is
still worth mentioning.
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6.23 - Disconnected Ground
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Some platforms like small staircases are disconnected to the ground, so if you
are attacking close to the edge of these staircases and are moving towards
the edge, your attacks will be cancelled briefly as you fall to the ground.
In some cases, this can be fatal. Also, when doing a musou, the musou itself
will be cancelled.
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6.24 - Generals Approaching at a Distance
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It takes around 6 steps before you can execute a dash attack. This has
not been tested to be true for the AI, (probably not so hard to test), although
it's probably true, it is not so important to know. The main point is, if
generals are approaching from any distance farther than 7 steps away, they
will want to do a running attack on you. Generally, these are all dangerous, and
probably should be blocked, or may be counterattacked if you can time it
correctly. The only one that is not so dangerous is regular sword generals.
By regular I mean non-playable character, and the type of sword general that
has the attacking pattern similar to Xiahou Yuan's, or Gan Ning's. And not
surprisingly, their running attack is the knee attack, which has very little
reach and range. Probably the most dangerous one is the spear general's.
The dash attack, just like Ma Chao's, is very fast, and covers some good
distance. It's not very hard to memorize these, but just for completeness, here
is a list of regular general dash attacks.
Type of General Attacking Pattern and Dash Attack
Sword (general) Xiahou Yuan
Sword (advisor) Sun Jian
Spear Ma Chao
Halberd Zhang Liao
If you've learned these dash attacks, and you are fighting large crowds, it
may be a good idea to counterattack these. The Sword (advisor) and Halberd
ones are the easier ones.
Most importantly,
Knowing the fact that the AI likes to execute these dash attacks is very useful.
Since generals approaching from a distance will likely do a dash attack, they
will not block. Note that however this is only useful for characters with long
reach. Lu Bu and Zhao Yun can almost always freely attack a general that is
approaching from a distance.
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6.25 - Enemies that do not Flinch
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The explanations and basics for flinching are covered in the legend
(section 4.0).
A character flinches whenever he/she is being hit. A flinch holds for a very
brief amount of time, and during this time, the character cannot perform
any attacks. (except for musou).
Before I begin, keep in mind that all charge attacks (and of course musou
attacks) will cause flinching.
Some characters, or enemies, do not flinch in special cases.
The first case, is as if the character has the Arm Guards item equipped.
This sort of character will not flinch only when performing charge attacks.
This information isn't very useful, because the only characters that are like
this are Dian Wei and Pang De. And the chances of you attacking Dian Wei, in
the Yellow Turban Rebellion, when he is executing a charge attack, is pretty
rare. So this is a very subtle caution, but still good to know.
The second case is immunity when the character is performing any non-aerial
attacks. This means that when this sort of character is doing normal attacks,
or charge attacks, when planted on the ground, will not flinch. This
case is much more important because more characters have this property, and
ignoring this property will likely be a fatal decision. Enemies in defense
bases are like this. This is why you should avoid fighting these guys, unless
you use your musou. But these guys also block more often, so their very
annoying. As for playable characters, Cao Ren, and Xing Cai are like this.
You may have wondered why the hell were they invincible when you were attacking
them, well this is why. Generally, characters with shields have this
property of flinch immunity. The caution for fighting these guys is to either
make sure you attack them first, or wait and attack them during their attack
recovery times. Yes, this is annoying for characters whom have short reach, so
characters with longer reach will have an easier time dealing with Cao Ren,
and Xing Cai. Probably the bigger caution, and disadvantage, is that you can't
just go crazy with attacking when in musou rage. Everyone has this no flinch
property when in musou rage, and thus fights just like Cao Ren, and Xing Cai,
and will not flinch to normal non-aerial attacks. So if you are in musou rage,
and Cao Ren or Xing Cai attacks you while you are attacking, both of you will
not flinch (it's like the "Terminator"), until one of you does a charge attack,
a musou attack, or jumps in the air. So it's very dangerous to attack blindly
against these two characters, as even though you are in musou rage, they will
probably still deal lots of damage to you.
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6.26 - Weapon Power
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Weapon Power is the value displayed under the "POWER" heading in the weapon
attributes screen (either in the CAMP mode, or the preparation screen prior to
beginning a stage). For example, the power of Lu Bu's fourth weapon is 40, and
Xiao Qiao's is 32.
This power value does not work in the same way as the "attack" value. You
may have noticed that swapping from a third weapon to a fourth weapon (while
keeping all other attack variables constant) results in a very little increase
with the attack stat bar. In Lu Bu's case, the resulting power increase would
be from 18 to 40; this is a +22 increase in power. But notice that when you put
on the Tiger Amulet, which is a +20 increase in attack, the result is that
the amount of increase in the attack stat bar created by the Tiger Amulet is
much larger than the amount of increase in the attack stat bar created by
swapping from third to fourth weapons. This first observation proves that the
power value does not work in the same way as the attack value, in that a +20
increase of weapon power is significantly less than a +20 increase in attack.
The simplest way to see how much increase in attack results from power is
to use Lu Bu as an example and look at the stats in the preparation menu
(just before starting a stage)
First: You need to know that for a maxed character, all values are at 40.
To see this visually, take any character with a maxed Defense, that has a
weapon with no extra Defense bonus on it. Making sure that this character
doesn't have the Tortoise Amulet on, the Defense bar at the preparation screen
should be 1/2 full.
Second: With Lu Bu now, go to the preparations screen, and empty all of his
item slots. You should see that the Life and Musou bars are the same, and
slightly less than the Defense bar, and the Defense bar is slightly less than
the Attack bar. This makes perfect sense according to the stats on his fourth
weapon. His Life and Musou are slightly lower than Defense because his weapon
has +19 for both Life and Musou, but +20 for Defense. Looking at the Attack
bar now, there is also a +20 attack on Lu Bu's fourth weapon, thus the slight
increase in the Attack bar compared to the Defense bar, is the result of
the power from his weapon. You can see that this increase is about +3 or +4.
A visual conclusion drawn from this example is that Power is practically
useless: the whopping +40 on Lu Bu's fourth weapon causes a small increase
in the attack bar of about +4.
For damage calculations in this guide, I will need to convert power to
damage, or attack. Seen from the example above, this ratio will be used:
POWER 10:1 ATTACK
Power seems useless if you've looked at the example above with Lu Bu.
There may be other properties of power, but this is all that I have uncovered.
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6.27 - Weapon Weight Multipliers
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Even though I am only going to cover character analyses with all the
characters equipped with their fourth weapons, this section will merely help
those of you who really dislike the weight of a certain character's
fourth weapon.
First of all, I don't recommend using any third weapons, because of the fact
that you get a free musou rage token per 100 KO's, with fourth weapons.
Fourth weapons have 5 attributes to them, when the maximum number of
attributes for a third weapon is only 4. Also, even though the weapon power
is increased significantly, this does not mean an increase in attack. (refer
to section above for an explanation of this; section 6.27)
But you may want to prefer using a different weapon weight if the character's
fourth weapon weight, as well as the 5 attributes suck. Xu Zhu comes to mind.
It may be a good choice to give him a medium weight weapon with an extra attack
bonus of +20. This would greatly enhance his attacking power, as his light
fourth weapon has no extra attack bonus. Also, Fill seems to be the only
useful attribute on his fourth weapon. (I'll show calculations later)
Before I begin, I would say that I conducted my own experiments to uncover
that the weapon weight multiplier is 1.25. But I would also like to admit that
I had read somewhere before, that someone had already experimented with this
and came up with a multiplier of 1.3. Technically, the person who first
found this out deserves the credit to this, but this is a simple discovery
anyway, and would be impossible to credit. So strictly speaking, all I did was
verify the value of this weapon weight multiplier. And since my experiment
returned a value of 1.25, this will be the official weapon weight multiplier
in my guide.
Well there you have it, if all you wanted to know was the value itself, it is
1.25. This means that a heavy weapon is 1.25 times stronger than a medium
weapon, and a medium weapon is 1.25 times stronger than a light weapon.
For details on how this was determined:
I took Huang Gai, who had three third weapons each of different weight. All
three weapons had the same base attack (obviously), and had no extra attack
bonus. This would yield consistent results because only weapon weight is
altered with attacking strength kept constant. The testing was done in the
Yellow Turban Rebellion stage on Yellow Turban Forces. There is a supply base
near the starting position of Sun Jian, where the north side of the base is
free of any people. I isolated the gate captain, and did a full 6-hit normal
attack combo on him. Then I measured the length of health depleted. (Yes. with
a ruler; wierd way of experimenting, nevermind that, it is quite accurate)
Well the uncertainty of the measurements should be only parallax, which would
differ by a few millimeters at most. This would explain the difference between
my 1.25 value and the 1.3 value that I read somewhere, sometime ago.
Just for completeness sake, here's a quick calculation to validate the usage of
third weapons over crappy fourth weapons. We'll go back to Xu Zhu as an
example. This table is a calculation based only on a Xu Zhu with a maxed
attack. Note that only the raw value of a maxed attack (disregarding all attack
bonuses including weapons) is 40.
________________________________________________________________________
Weapon Number 4th 3rd
Weapon Weight Light Medium
Weapon Power +38 +16
Weapon ATK Bonus +0 +20
Maxed ATK Value +40 +40
Tiger Amulet +20 +20
Green Scroll x1.5 x1.5
Weight Multiplier x1.0 x1.25
Damage Calculation [(38/10)+40+20]*1.5 [(16/10)+40+20+20]*1.25*1.5
Resulting Damage 95.7 153.0
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So equipping Xu Zhu with a medium 3rd weapon with an attack bonus of +20
will be quite noticeably stronger (about 1.5 times stronger) than his 4th
weapon. This value of 1.5 times stronger is indeed realistic and very close to
actual results. If you can get a good medium 3rd weapon (likely by the
internal time trick), it is probably well worth sacrificing attacking speed and
all the musou rages that you would normally get with a 4th weapon. My ideal
weapon for Xu Zhu would be:
ATK FILL CHARGE MUSOU SPD
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6.28 - The Green Scroll
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When equipped with the green scroll, your attack is 1.5 times stronger,
but your defense is 2 times weaker.
Even though these two ratios are disproportional, it is well worth the
sacrifice.
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6.29 - The Disadvatages of Having a Bodyguard
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First I should point out the obvious, that having a bodyguard (preferrably an
S/S Fan Bodyguard) has undoubtedly more pros than cons, but here are some
very important disadvantages that should be considered when in Chaos mode.
When you have a bodyguard fighting by your side, he/she will attract random
and often unexpected enemy attacks. You won't really have to worry about the
bodyguard surviving, but you have to worry about suffering collateral damage
from the unpredictable enemy attacks directed at your bodyguard. This will
often create melee confusion which is quite hard to deal with. Generally, it
is much safer to take on the world by yourself.
Secondly, having a bodyguard by your side may cause the game to lag slightly.
You have probably noticed that in 2 Player mode, the loading is terrible, as
sometimes enemies randomly disappear/appear/reappear. This effect is very
apparent when two players are fighting very close to each other in 2 Player
mode. Well having a bodyguard by your side MAY also create this sort of lag
in loading. It is however to a smaller degree than in 2 Player mode, but I
found it very frustrating to die because some random groups of peons appear
behind me because of the terrible loading.
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6.30 - Unsuspected and Unwanted Displacement
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Many of you have probably noticed this already.
Peons, generals, and even horses don't actually stay planted on the ground when
they are supposedly stationary. Here are many example of this: If you
move while holding L1 while on a horse, and move against another horse, that
other horse will move with you. If you play in two players mode, and have one
player be a fast character and the other, a slow character, it is possible for
both characters to run at the same speed, and at the speed of the faster
character, if you have the faster character running behind the slower
character. The result is obvious, that the faster character is pushing the
slower one. This is because interference is allowed between two moving objects
to cause displacement. Now of course, objects like moving rams cannot be
displaced, but if you run against the direction of one, you will forced to
move with the ram.
Anyway, now that you know what I mean about this idea of displacement, it is in
many cases unwanted. You may have noticed that sometimes when blocking against
a general, the general will somehow slide slightly closer toward you, or even
past you, and this allows the general to hit you easily even if you are
blocking. This would usually happen in large crowds, and only when crowds
are approaching. This is simple because, the crowd that is approaching will
push the general closer to you. This effect is obviously very minor, but
this is actually the most frequent reason to why I lose in Chaos - because of
flaws in the loading/technicalities in the game.
This is why it's very hard for Xiao Qiao to juggle officers properly
with her musou in massive crowds.
I suppose it would be good to conclude this with solutions to this stupid
problem. Well, there's really nothing you can do about it. The only solution to
prevent getting hit because of this unwanted displacement is to counterattack.
Something else that is totally different, but still sort of related to this,
is the game's or the system's poor loading. Sometimes peons may appear out of
nowhere in their usual group of fives. This may be fatal, depending on where
they appear, and the character you are using.
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6.31 - Enemy Generals in Musou Rage
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
The light orb strategy in this section was provided by SC.
Generals when in musou rage can be real pain to deal with. Normally, the
obvious thing to do would be to run away and wait until the general's musou
rage is finished. However, this is not possible for character's with slow
walking speed, who also do not have a quick charge attack available. An
example of a quick charge would be Dian Wei's C1. His C1,
since it is a charge attack will still cause a general in a musou rage to be
lifted off his feet. However, most slow characters already have this quick
ground stomp as their C1.
For the characters who are fast enough, run away and come back later.
For the slow characters who have the quick ground stomp as their C1
keep using it until the general's musou rage is over.
For other slow characters, your only option is to block, but the generals that
are able to use musou rages, are always playable characters, and playable
characters controlled by the AI are smart enough to sometimes sidestep and
wiggle around you and attack. So blocking is somewhat risky. Another good
option is to counterattack, but again, quite obviously, it is also risky. It
is a good strategy to plan ahead, if you know that there is an officer in the
stage that you are playing will go crazy with a musou rage. (for example,
Ma Chao at Bai Di Castle). Giving your character the Light Orb is very useful.
If you can time your charge attack correctly, you can easily set up a
situation for juggling. Now just juggle away, until the general's musou rage
is over. The reason why I mention that you must time it correctly, is that
it is dangerous to just begin attacking when the general is close in. If you
start attacking and the general in his/her musou rage isn't blocking, you're
in trouble. Since your normal attacks will not cause the general to flinch,
the general is free to, and will very likely, start attacking you instead.
But of course, in the case the general is blocking, then you have all the time
in the world to set up the juggling with your Light Orb.
This strategy is a subtle one, as it doesn't make your defense really any
better, but will allow you to work on the general by juggling, instead of
running way to a safe place and just standing around. But juggling a general
in a musou rage will deal almost negligible damage. Still, this strategy is
useful and very worth mentioning.
Another good strategy of planning ahead for dealing with these generals is to
equip the Way of Musou depending on your character's musou. This is absolutely
perfect for characters who have true musous that hurl the enemy into the air,
like Guan Yu's. After this, juggling the general with fire is a smart way
to turn the tide. This method suffers no special timing; all you need to do is
execute your true musou when you know that the general is not blocking. Since
this method is practically risk-free, it should be the best way to face a
general when the general is in a musou rage.
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__________________________
6.32 - Ice Orb Probability
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
After simple probability tests, with large sample sizes, the probability of
freezing an enemy with the ice orb is 60% chance.
This test was done with Liu Bei's C3, with a sample size of 237.
I tested the possibility of Luck influencing freezing probability while I
did this. With Maximum luck, the stats were 82/132 = 62.1%
With no luck bonuses, the stats were 61/105 = 58.1%
It can be seen that luck plays no role in affecting the Ice Orb.
Combining these two, with a sample size of 237, the Ice Orb probability is
60.3%
This sample size should be reliable enough to conclude that the Ice Orb
freezing probability is 60%.
This number will be used frequently in character analyses, to calculate
the chance to deal One-Musou-KOs against officers.
A good example is Cao Pi. If he were to use his C1 before an approaching crowd,
this C1 will make his C5 successful with very little defensive risk,
and at the same time, the freezing probability is very high. There will be two
chances to freeze then. And we only need one of the two to succeed.
A probability tree diagram can show the probability of the freezing probability
If S stands for Success, and F stands for Failure, then....
(S-0.60) (F-0.40)
/ \ / \
(S-0.60) (F-0.40) (S-0.60) (F-0.40)
| | | |
0.36 0.24 0.24 0.16
it can be seen that the first three branches from the left, are a success in
freezing. So with the C1 timed correctly, Cao Pi has an 84% chance in freezing
and officer, and thus an 84% chance in killing an officer with only one
musou. This is doing a one-musou-KO against more than 4/5 officers.
This tree diagram shows all the possibilities. The only needed calculation
however is to do the probability of failure, and then complement it.
This example is an applicable one, while Cao Cao's C6 isn't really worth
computing because his C6 isn't very safe in large crowds.
But then, doing the same sort of thing, the chance of failure is
0.40^5, which the very unlikely chance of 0.01, meaning that his freezing
probability with his C6 is potentially 99%.
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6.33 - The True Way of Musou [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
The True Way of Musou is a new item in Xtreme Legends. It is probably the
most valuable of the new items. It is a definite recommendation for almost
all characters, and here's why:
The True Way of Musou increases the character's musou damage by half, or in
other words, it is 1.5 times stronger.
The duration of the character's musou is slightly increased. This increase
is one extra repeating loop. A typical character's musou has three parts:
A beginning attack, A chain of repeating attacks, An ending attack. So the
increase is only an extra loop of repeating attacks that make up the middle
chain section.
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______________________
6.34 - The Dragon Arms [XL]
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A very unique new item in Xtreme Legends which allows you to jump during
a charge attack. This includes all parts that are considered part of the
specific charge attack, the execution time, the charge attack itself, and
the recovery time; and it is the recovery time that is important here.
Being able to jump during the recovery time of a charge attack is very useful
because it can be used to eliminate the recovery time. But the usefulness of
this item depends on the character's reach and range of his/her air attack,
or the character's type of jump charge, and duration of recovery times of the
most useful charge attacks of that character. The jump attack or jump charge
of the character is very important to serve as a useful charge recovery time
cancellation, because simply jumping out of it doesn't do much, as the time
it takes to jump is too long to be useful. Thus, the way to minimize this
jump-time, is to do a quick air attack. (pressing square as soon as possible
after a jump) Some characters have a very suitable jump charge to get them
to safety, and it can be used to cancel the recovery times of charge attacks.
Only specific charge attacks work with the Dragon Arms. The Dragon Arms works
with any charge attack executed by pressing the triangle button. The only
exception is jump charges. This makes sense anyway, because if jump charges
worked with the Dragon Arms, several characters would be invincible, because
they can abuse their jump charges continuously. The Dragon Arms, however,
does not work with the first evolution attack. I've mentioned before that
the first evolution attack has a lot of similar charge attack properties, but
you cannot jump out of this attack with the Dragon Arms. Although, the very
last evolution attack is compatible with the Dragon Arms. This last attack
satifies very little properties of a charge attack, but it is possible to
jump out of it. There is a slight advantage to this as it would make battle
more fluent, by cancelling the recovery time of the last evolution attack.
Here is an example of how the Dragon Arms can be useful:
Zhou Tai:
Definitely one of the characters that benefit most from the Dragon Arms.
In the Dynasty Warriors 5 tier list, the main reason why he is ranked so lowly
is because of his defensive effort. The Dragon Arms item is very compatible
with Zhou Tai because his jump attack has good reach and range. His C3 is
likely his most useful charge attack; the only flaw in this charge
attack is the long recovery time, and if you fail to fill his musou with it,
escaping without getting hit is almost impossible. Being able to do a
quick jump attack right after his C3 ends is very valuable. Probably
the biggest advantage of giving Zhou Tai the Dragon Arms, is his C1.
Zhou Tai's C1 is similar to that of Lu Bu's and Zhao Yun's,
in that it grants temporary invincibility. This is useful as an escaping
move for Lu Bu, Zhao Yun, and Zhou Tai. This enables Zhou Tai to have
a perfect defense, and is why Zhou Tai is a high tier character in Xtreme
Legends.
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_______________________
6.35 - Damage-Free Zone
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This subsection discusses what Xiahou Jia, quite a Dynasty Warriors pro,
from the Scholars of Shen Zhou forums, calls, the "Damage-Free Zone".
This concept has made significant changes in my analyses for Xiahou Yuan.
This Damage-Free Zone is most useful for Xiahou Yuan and Huang Zhong.
Since he organized this idea quite nicely in the discussion, I thought it would
be best to copy and paste his explanation here:
---
1. Damage-free zone. Everything that's going on on your minimap but not
onscreen is damage free. Your allies and your enemies recieve absolutely no
damage at all. So that completely eliminates the problem of Commander being
dead or losing important allies like Zhang Liang and Zhang Bao in YTR. The
worst thing one can do in YTR is to kill or even damage Dian Wei, Cheng Pu,
Li Dian and Huang Gai and thus deprive yourself of potential allies. Just face
away from Zhangs and Wei and Wu subs and wait for the brainwashing to take
place. You see, the DF zone is also a "sticky" zone. Not only everything is
damage free but the red and the blue dots tend to stick to each other. If you
fight onscreen you're always the priority target for the AI generals and most
of the time for the bodyguards as well, until somebody else hits the AI and
draws attention. But if you fight offscreen you'll be ignored more often than
not if there are allies closer to the AI.
Another thing about the DF zone is that nothing can hit you from there but
arrows. Only enemies onscreen and archers can hit you in DW5. When you face
away you dramatically reduce the chances of being hit. No long- range attack
can hit you and the number of the enemies onscreen is often reduced to nil.
I will give you another example of the DF zone. I usually refer to it as a
"bow glitch" that is present in all DW games (do you remember the duels in DW4
Wink ). Play any level you want and make sure there are no archers around.
Draw your bow and aim it high at the sky. Well, from now on you're in DF zone
yourself. You can hear the AI attacking you and see that you're totally
surrounded on minimap but you recieve no damage and don't flinch. That's
because you can not be damaged if the enemies are not onscreen and the only
thing on your screen is a nice blue sky. The AI will start using only jump
attacks in order to get on your screen and break through your invincibility.
You can move around while holding L1+R1. I consider the "bow glitch" cheating
and never use it.
Anyway, back to [Xiahou] Yuan. So, everything in DF zone is damage free...
until you turn around (do not reset the camera, only [Xiahou] Yuan must be
onscreen)and start slaughtering them with C1 And as you are well aware the DF
zone is also a "I don't know how to block" zone.
Now I believe that the biggest problem for Chaos players is a "pushing" effect
(you've described it as "displacement" in your FAQ). as it can nullify what
seemed to be a perfect defence. The thing is that the "pushing" effect or
let's call it a "boost" (reminds me of the Boost tactic in DT2) tactic can
happen only onscreen. But if you play [Xiahou] Yuan (as well as Huang Zhong
and some others) you don't need to see your enemies as long as you're
confident with the minimap and terrain.
2. "Gather" tactic. At first glance there's nothing spectacular about it. You
just enter the AI attacking zone and everybody starts to surround you if no
allies are present on the minimap. "Gather" is a set up tactic in DT2 and it
serves the same purpose in DW5. When the AI is all around you it's time for a
"Mislead".
3. "Mislead". Move forward and watch your minimap. The AI will form a column
behind you. Nice column, very nice for Yuan's C1 Make sure that nobody is
behind you onscreen (they must be all offscreen), stop and annihilate them
with C1 if you have a high attack equipment or slow them down and win some
time if you fight without items. Remember to keep the crowd in DF zone.
Otherwise I can guarantee you'll get a nice "boost" in return.
The perfect example of Gather+Mislead+C1 combo is conquering bases. Enter the
base and run to either NW or NE corner, turn around and kill'em all
Ok, running from the likes of Lu Xun is VERY painfull without items
(speed scroll mainly). But that's what the TMF is for. If you're really
unlucky and don't have a musou ready than try to run away in a curve line. It
usually works but it's really hard - I've learnt this trick in DW5E when I was
running for my life from 2 Juggernauts and Lu Bu who were Ultrafast because of
Forced March Tactic.
4. "Flank". My most favourite tactic that I always use against generals. In
case of [Xiahou] Yuan the "Flank" should be used from the right side as the
range of his musou is from right to left. This one is definitely well-known to
you as I remember you saying at GameFaqs board that the Light Orb is not needed
because you can always attack the AI from behind.
5. "Awe". A relatively new thing that i had discovered before I moved to SW2E.
Unfortunately Yuan doesn't profit from it as much as his one-eyed cousin or
any other character who moves alot when attacking. Still it should be
mentioned. It's pretty close actually to the "Light Orb" strategy described in
FAQ. The difference is that you use "Awe" for defence purpose and don't need
any orb as long as your attacking rate is decent and you don't have long
charging times. The point is that the AI generals and bodyguards are easily
forced to block just by swinging your weapon if they are positioned strictly
to the N[orth]. Now the fun is that the AI will not move as long as you do
your combo. It will stop blocking when it's behind you most of the time but it
will never move. So you can easily win some distance if the AI is too close by
forcing it to block your first hit and then using your rest of the evo combo
for retreat. However it doesn't work against regular peons as they never
block, so it should be used carefully.
---
Commentary:
As you can deduce already, this is a very important concept to grasp for
Xiahou Yuan, especially with his 4th weapon equipped. With only a speed 20
configuration with the Speed Scroll equipped, his walking speed is
fast enough to outrun pursuing crowds, but he's only barely faster, so
it does take a while to run until it's safe to execute his C1. It takes even
longer in massive crowds, because of the pushing or unwanted displacement
effect. The main idea is, Xiahou Yuan has pretty much an extreme defense, if
his walking speed is fast enough. The most important thing about the
Damage-Free Zone, is to understand the off-screen advantages. Keep in mind
though that if an officer or any other enemy, is in the middle of executing
an attack, such as a C1, or a musou, turning away from them, obviously doesn't
cancel their "long-range" attack. The idea is, when enemies are offscreen,
they won't be executing these attacks. This makes it much easier for
Huang Zhong and Xiahou Yuan to execute their C1's safely, without distance
calculations or approximations, by the eye.
His awe tactic is also a very important concept to know, even though it's
applications are very limited. The best example for this, that I can think of,
is Pang De's C6. If you purposely miss or hit a blocking officer with his C6,
and steer it away from the blocking officer, you'll notice that the officer
will stay put, blocking the entier time, until his C6 finishes. It's interesting
that the AI does this (but not surprising), as before I noticed this, I
thought (or one would think) the officer would stop blocking and start
running after him to take advantage. Furthermore, I consider this property
a disadvantage for Pang De's C6. If he is not equipped with the Light Orb,
you can easily force an officer to block (as long as they are within 6 or 7
paces). If the AI were to instead, stop blocking directly after his C6
execution to seemingly take advantage, it would be perfect because with
the proper configuration, this would often be a perfect musou setup, after
easy musou filling.
===============================================================================
___________________________________________________________________________
7.00 - Musou Rage Token and Meat Bun Locations for 5-star Difficulty Stages
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
This small section will briefly cover locations of meat buns and musou rage
tokens.
When I refer to gates, I mean the gates where soldier troops come from, or
get produced rather. These gates are guarded by either allied or enemy
guard captains.
There are usually three meat buns in a stage. There are however, some
exceptions such as Guan Yu's Escape and Bai Di Castle.
Please tell me if I have missed any locations of meat buns, or if there are
any errors.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_____________________________________________________
7.01 - Yellow Turban Rebellion (Yellow Turban Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Elite Guard of Jian Yong
Elite Guard of Li Ru
Elite Guard of Huangfu Song
Crate near the Gate west of the Central Altar (Zhang Bao's Altar)
Meat Bun Locations:
Gate west of Zhang Jiao's Main Camp
Northeast of He Jin's starting position
South of the Western Enemy Supply Base
2 Supply Bases
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
___________________________________________
7.02 - The Battle of Chi Bi (Allied Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Elite Guard of Zhang Liao
Elite Guard of Yu Jin
Elite Guard of Cao Pi
Crate North side of the Boat where Huang Gai appears after the Fire
Attack
Meat Bun Locations:
Gate South of the Eastern Bridge
Gate Southwest of the Western Bridge
South side of the Boat where Huang Gai appears after the Fire Attack
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
____________________________________________
7.03 - Conquest of Nan Zhong (Nanman Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Elite Guard of Wei Yan
Elite Guard of Yan Yan
Elite Guard of Yue Ying
Crate near the Central-Western most Gate
Meat Bun Locations:
Eastern Gate of Meng Huo's Main Camp
Eastern Gate of Zhuge Liang's Main Camp
Gate West of Guan Xing's starting position
1 Supply Base
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________________________________________
7.04 - The Siege of He Fei Castle (Wei Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Elite Guard of Zhu Huan
Elite Guard of Xu Sheng
Elite Guard of Lu Xun
Crate near the Central Gate
Meat Bun Locations:
Central Gate
South of Zhou Fang's starting position
North of the Entrance of Sima Yi's starting position
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_____________________________________________
7.05 - The Siege of He Fei Castle (Wu Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Elite Guard of Cao Hong
Elite Guard of Cao Zhen
Elite Guard of Xu Huang
Crate near the Central Gate
Meat Bun Locations:
Central Gate
South of Xiahou Ba's starting position
North of the Entrance that Xu Zhu is guarding
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
__________________________________________
7.06 - Battle of Bai Di Castle (Wu Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Elite Guard of Xing Cai
Elite Guard of Guan Xing
Elite Guard of Gao Xiang
Crate near the Gate west of Huang Zhong's starting position
Meat Bun Locations:
Northeast corner in the Stone Sentinel Maze
Path leading to a dead end, north of Huang Zhong's starting position
Quite a ways west of the southeast corner gate
Gate near Ma Chao's ambush location
4 Supply Bases
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
___________________________________________
7.07 - Battle of Bai Di Castle (Shu Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Elite Guard of Jiang Qin
Elite Guard of Zhou Tai
Elite Guard of Huang Gai
Crate near the Gate southeast of Zhou Tai's starting position
Meat Bun Locations:
Gate west of Lu Xun's starting position
Path leading to a dead end, near Zhou Tai's starting position
Quite a ways west of the southeast corner gate
Northeast corner in the Stone Sentinel Maze
4 Supply Bases
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_____________________________________________
7.08 - Battle of Wu Zhang Plains (Wei Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Elite Guard of Guan Suo
Elite Guard of Wei Yan
Elite Guard of Jiang Wei
Crate in the area of the Arbelests
Meat Bun Locations:
Gate where Shu supplies (wood oxen) come from
North of the attack base south of the river
West gate near the river
2 Supply Bases
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_____________________________________________
7.09 - Battle of Wu Zhang Plains (Shu Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Elite Guard of Cao Rui
Elite Guard of Zhen Ji
Elite Guard of Sima Yi
Crate in the area of the Arbelests
Meat Bun Locations:
Gate where Shu supplies (wood oxen) come from
North of the attack base south of the river
West gate near the river
5 Supply Bases
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
____________________________________
7.10 - Struggle for the Book (183AD) [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate in the center, in the second garrison of the castle *
Meat Bun Locations:
Northeast corner, in the first garrison of the castle
Northwest corner, in the first garrison of the castle
Center, in the first garrison of the castle
* There are no officers that drop musou rage tokens in this stage
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
____________________________________
7.11 - Rescue at Lou Sang Po (184AD) [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate near the center of the map *
Meat Bun Locations:
Near the center of the map
South of Zhang Jiao's main camp **
* There are no officers that drop musou rage tokens in this stage
** There are only two meat buns in this stage
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
__________________________________
7.12 - Ou Xing's Rebellion (187AD) [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Elite Guard of Zhou Chao
Elite Guard of Zuozi Zhangba
Elite Guard of Guan Hai *
Crate near the western-most gate
Meat Bun Locations:
Near the gate northwest of Ou Xing's Castle
North of Ou Xing's Castle, just outside, near Zuozi Zhangba
Near the gate in the northeast corner of the map
* Guan Hai is a subgeneral under He Yi, who comes as reinforcements
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_________________________________________
7.13 - The Ten Eunuchs' Rebellion (189AD) [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate in the southwest corner of the map *
* There are no meat buns in this stage, and only one musou rage token
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_____________________________________
7.14 - Battle of Yan Province (194AD) [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Elite Guard of Dian Wei / Xu Zhu
Elite Guard of Xun Yu
Elite Guard of Xiahou Dun
Crate north of the center-most base, south of the river
Meat Bun Locations:
Near the gate in the southwest corner of the map
East side of the map, just south of the river
Near the gate, at a "T" intersection, south of the river
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________________________
7.15 - Imperial Rescue (195AD) [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Elite Guard of Guo Si
Elite Guard of Li Jue
Elite Guard of Zhang Liao
Crate near the gate in the northeast corner of the map
Meat Bun Locations:
Near the gate slightly west of the center of the map
Near the gate slightly north of the center of the map
Near the gate along the path that Li Jue takes
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
____________________________
7.16 - The Two Qiaos (196AD) [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate near Zuo Ci
Meat Bun Locations:
Near Zhou Tai
Near the gate south of Zhou Tai
Near the northern-most gate, near Zuo Ci
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_________________________________
7.17 - Husbands and Wives (200AD) [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
There seems to be no limit to the musou rage tokens dropped by
defeated enemies in this stage, and they are not dropped by
elite guards, but rather, any of the four female characters,
Zhen Ji, Xiao Qiao, Da Qiao, and Yue Ying.
Crate on the path connecting the northern-most fortress and the
western-most fortress
Meat Bun Locations:
There is one meat bun inside each of the three fortresses
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
__________________________________
7.18 - Battle of Ji Castle (213AD) [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Elite Guard of Zhang He
Elite Guard of Xiahou Yuan
Elite Guard of Wei Kang
Crate near the gate south of Ji Castle
Meat Bun Locations:
West of Ji Castle, outside
Near the east gate inside Ji Castle *
* There are only two meat buns in this stage
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________________________________
7.19 - Battle of Jia Meng Gate (214AD) [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Elite Guard of Zhang Wei
Elite Guard of Ma Dai
Elite Guard of Ma Chao
Crate near the gate, close the geographic center of the map
Meat Bun Locations:
Of the two northern-most gates, the meat bun is near the eastern one
Of the two eastern-most gates, the meat bun is near the southern one
Near the geographic center of the map
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________________________________
7.20 - Battle of Yang Ping Gate (215AD) [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Elite Guard of Yang Ang
Elite Guard of Yang Song
Elite Guard of Yan Pu
Crate near the main entrance to Zhang Lu's main camp; near Pang De
Meat Bun Locations:
Near the main entrance to Zhang Lu's main camp; near Pang De
In Zhang Lu's main camp, but on top of the garrison
Near the gate, in Cao Cao's main camp
1 supply base
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
__________________________________
7.21 - Battle of Ru Xu Kou (217AD) [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Elite Guard of Xu Huang
Elite Guard of Xiahou Dun
Elite Guard of Yue Jin
Crate on the south side of the central island
Meat Bun Locations:
Near the gate in the southeast corner of the map
Near the gate in the northeast corner of the map
Of the two western-most gates, the meat bun is near the northern one
3 supply bases
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_________________________________
7.22 - Battle of Han Shui (219AD) [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate in the center of Cao Cao's main camp *
Meat Bun Locations:
Near the river surrounded Cao Cao's main camp, south side
In Cao Cao's main camp, near the northeast corner
In Cao Cao's main camp, near the southwest corner
* For some reason, no elite guards drop musou rage tokens in this stage
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
___________________________________
7.23 - Battle of Mai Castle (219AD) [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Elite Guard of Xu Huang
Elite Guard of Lu Meng
Elite Guard of Cao Ren
Crate inside Mai Castle, in the northwest corner
Meat Bun Locations:
Inside Mai Castle, in the northwest corner
Near the gate in the southwest corner of the map
Of the two eastern-most gates, the meat bun is near the southern one
4 supply bases
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
___________________________________
7.24 - Battle of Xin Castle (227AD) [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Elite Guard of Wei Yan
Elite Guard of Ma Chao
Elite Guard of Meng Da
Crate west of the southern-most base
Meat Bun Locations:
West of the southern-most base
South of the northern-most base
Near the supply base
1 supply base
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_________________________________
7.25 - Battle of Shi Ting (228AD) [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Elite Guard of Cao Xiu
Elite Guard of Cao Zhen
Elite Guard of Sima Yi
Crate north of Sun Quan's supply base
Meat Bun Locations:
Near the northern gate in the open area where Cao Xiu is
Near the gate east of Sun Quan's supply base
Near the western gate in Cao Pi's main camp
3 supply bases
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________________________
7.26 - Battle of Mt. Qi (231AD) [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate in the central open area, in the northwest corner *
Meat Bun Locations:
Near the northern gate in Sima Yi's main camp
West of the eastern-most base
Of the two gates on the northern edge of the map, there is a meat bun
south of the western gate of these two gates
* There are no elite guards that drop musou rages. This adds to make
this stage even harder than it already is.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
____________________________________
7.27 - Showdown at Nan Zhong (235AD) [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Elite Guard of Xu Huang
Elite Guard of Xu Zhu
Elite Guard of Sima Zhao
Crate west of Xu Huang
Meat Bun Locations:
Near the gate in the northwest corner of the map
In Meng Huo's main camp, southwest corner of the map
Near Sima Yi's main camp
1 supply base
===============================================================================
_______________________________________________
8.00 - Individual Character Tips and Strategies
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Each character section will begin with a introduction. In this introduction,
there will be some very general comments on the character.
Next will be recommended items to equip. Then will be my analysis
for using the character effectively in Chaos.
I have organized all the characters by a ranking system from best to worst.
This is of course based on unbaised analysis.
This tier list does not represent "my" tier list of which characters I am good
or bad with, or best or worst with, but a general and accurate tier list
not for people, but the characters themselves.
MY TIER LIST DEFINITION AND TIER LIST THEORY
I should stress that this tier list is based on character skills, strengths
and weaknesses. This list was very carefully composed with extensive experience
to analyze of all the characters.
PLEASE keep in mind that this tier list has absolutely nothing to deal with
the characters' relevance to hard mode; as that would result in a totally
different tier list, because fighting defensively isn't much of a factor in
hard mode. Thus, a hard mode tier list is a total different tier list than
a chaos mode tier list. I do encourage emails on tier list discussions,
but it better have points and reasons, that are well thought out. Because of
strong emphasis on defense, tier list trends tend to show a gradual decrease
in defensive potential. Characters with similar defense will tend to in the
same tier, and the ordering within each tier is determined by offensive
speed. This is just the general trend, as some characters with seemingly
equal defense may be divided because of a big, or very noticeable difference
in offense. A very good example of this is Zhuge Liang and Huang Zhong. Both
should be able to be untouched in any stage, because of reliable distanced
combat. However, Zhuge Liang's offense is by far better than Huang Zhong's.
The main point and idea behind tier lists, is that there is a best way to
play each character, and if this is achieved, then making an accurate
tier list is possible. Errors in my tier lists only mean two possibilities:
I have either analysed a character incorrectly and my method is not the
best method, or that I have simply misplaced the character in the tier list.
Many people tend to reject tier lists
outright, because the common thought is that a tier list is all opinion, and
that a tier list depends on how good a person is with each character. First
of all, being good with several characters, for example personal favorites,
reflects obviously an individual tier list, which is biased, premature, and
inaccurate; and this has nothing to do with a general all-emcompassing
tier list. Secondly, on the common philosophy that tier lists are all, or
mostly, opinion-based: this cannot be true, as the method for constructing
an accurate tier list relies on a collection of factual pros and cons of
each character. When these pros and cons all weight out to a thorough
conclusion, characters can be evaluated and placed among one another. When
a number of characters have seemingly equal pros and cons, is when opinions
make the negligible impact. However, this method differs a lot from scientific
processes because the "collection of weighed pros and cons" cannot be measured.
They cannot be measured, but accurate observations could be made from these
to deduce accurate enough conclusions based on visual statistics. Similarly,
unlike a science, there is no analysis of uncertainty; and this is precisely
the reason why there are tiers. It should be understood that there is a "best"
way to play each character, and this is factual; there is a "best" way to
survive or fight protectively with each character, and this is factual.
From this argument, this should be really easy to accept. For the general
tier lists in my guide, I have organized characters into tiers, and characters
in these tiers are ordered. It can be thought that characters separated by
tiers in the tier lists in my guide are factual, or very close to being factual.
The order of the characters within the same tier, normally have similar pros
and cons, and may very well depend on individual opinion. Simple examples -
Liu Bei and Yuan Shao, are technically the two most similar or closely related
characters in the game. It shouldn't be hard to realized this. There really
is very little fact that can evaluate who is better. You'd be surprised to
see how many people place them in different tiers. It's usually a result of
emotional or biased reasoning.
Lu Bu and Zhang Jiao: I know that I am using two extremes, but the obvious
point is that, no matter how you look at it, these two
characters can never be rivalled. The most common rejection phrase I see is
"Each person is good with different characters, and it's all a matter of how
you play them." Right....this sentence does nothing to disprove the
Lu Bu and Zhang Jiao example.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the end, the goal is to display a tier list of my unbiased evaluation of
all the characters in the game on Chaos difficulty, as close to a factual
and concrete tier list as possible, but is never possible, because of
inevitable debatable opinions.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another way to define this tier list:
This tier list I suppose, in some way, can be thought of as a tier list
representing individual skill - like a tier list of who you are best and worst
with. BUT only if you have mastered using all characters, and believe that you
can in no way get any better with any one character. And thus, my claim is that
if 10 people, who believe they have mastered all the characters,
constructed their own individual tier list of who they are best and worst with,
each tier list, or better yet, the average of all 10 tier lists, would be very
very close to my tier lists.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A note on the term Mastered:
I once tried to explain my tier list theories to some people, and one reply
to my idea of mastered characters was, that there is no way to master
a character because we are humans. OK...but seriously, we are capable enough
to come very close, and the ultimate point is, with mastery of all the
characters, one can construct a very accurate tier list. The way I have come
to play the game on Chaos now is very systematic, because of how well I have
anaylzed all the characters and how well I understand the game. Once we all
get good at a game, playing the game becomes a game of foresight, because
you can foresee almost everything that will happen next. When an officer is
approaching, I have to think, is he more than approximately seven paces away,
so will the officer do a running attack, if I'm using Guan Yu, then I get a
free hit, if I'm using Taishi Ci, my reach is too short to risk the danger of
getting hit by a running attack. Do I block first and attack after then?
Are the peons nearby close to the officer? will they make my blocking useless
because they will be able to migrate around and surround me? OK...sorry Taishi
Ci wasn't that great of an example here, because he would want to greet this
sort of situation, or any sort of situation with his C5, but my point has been
made. There are many other possible examples, such as a quick rough calculation
of the current crowd size, and relating to the character's musou filling ability
to determine whether or not you'll be able to fill his/her musou. There really
is a best way to play all the characters, or at least a few alternatives that
are equally good, and from this, it's almost apparent which characters are
better than others. So the argument of opinion proving inaccuracies in my tier
lists will never hold. Any inaccuracies in my tier list would be a result of
either my miscalculation of facts, or a character strategy that I have missed.
To finish off my tier list definition or theory. I'm sure that a common
question that arises is, what if one character has better defense that another,
but that other character has better offense than the first character.
Because this tier list is for Chaos, defense is by far the most important.
This includes natural moveset defenses, or a consistency in defense by
overwhelming offense. Huang Zhong is one of the best examples of defense. If
he can't be touched, when mastered, then he can't.
He truly has near perfect defense. And I say near perfect because some
characters are capable of better defense than him in Xtreme Legends.
Huang Zhong's only defensive concern is against archers. His archery strategies
can't work on archers. His moveset forces him to use his musou on archers.
Otherwise, when no archers are within sight, not getting hit is 100%
consistent. An example for the second point is Wei Yan. It may not much of an
argument for him with his 4th weapon, but with
the proper setup, with a 40 fill, no musou bonus, configuration, and
a medium weight weapon with maximized attack, his C3 will fill on crowds just
over a typical crowd of 5 peons. Well the recovery time of his C3 shouldn't be
stressed over at all obviously, and then any crowd greater than 5, will fill
his musou. This enables Wei Yan to have an extreme defense.
The three tier lists my guide thus have a trend of decreasing defensive
potential. Some tiers may show the same or similar defenses; in this case, the
separation of the tiers is governed by clear differences in offense. And that's
quite easy to see. Going back to the Wei Yan example, He deserves a high tier
list ranking. Huang Zhong's offense is no where near as effective as Wei Yan's,
even with the right weapons and items. He belongs in the tier below with many
others. And there appears to be another tier below this one, with characters
having the same defensive capabilities (recall the only weakness is archers),
but even slower and noticeably different offenses. Xiahou Yuan is a candidate
for this tier. This is all in section 10, in the full customization tier list
discussion. I do encourage viewers to read and take a look at that tier list,
because it's the most interesting one, as it allows for full weapon
customization.
And of course, this tier list applies only to, and strictly to, Chaos
difficulty, 5 star difficulty stages, with characters equipped with their
4th weapons.
Tier lists are useful to give an accurate sense of how good the characters
are. This is especially useful for beginners.
For those of you who are interested in how closely ranked the characters are,
you may refer to the list directly below, otherwise just skip to the individual
character sections.
Here is a ranking list of all the playable characters based on my opinion. The
groups that I have used to separate them in define how closely they are ranked
together. So characters within the same group, I think are quite close, and
those separated by the borders more distinguished. By the way, if you feel you
have an argument that could persuade me that some of the characters should be
ranked differently, feel free to contact me. I won't give any sort of credit
for this however, as this ranking system is based on individual unbaised
opinion, and is mainly just for fun.
Lastly, I have made some clips to attempt to show how I use the characters,
and more importantly, how the character strategies and tips all tie in.
Additionally, these clips should show - or I hope they show -
a gradual transition between all the characters to resemble the order of
the tier list. Notice that in very few of these clips do I finish the level
totally unharmed; it is of course very hard not to get hit. The important point
is not worrying about whether you get hit or not, sometimes it's well worth the
sacrifice to get hit for example in a musou rage, as long as you know that the
damage you take will not kill you.
It is important that you view these clips before inquiring about a tier list
modification. It's important to understand the confirmation that the way I
use characters is the most effective. Seeing things visually is always better,
and most convincing.
All clips have the same conditions for consistency for a fair tier list
comparison. The conditions are Siege of He Fei Castle - Wei Forces - Chaos.
I chose this stage because it has a vast variety of different and important
situations. Crowd sizes range from small to large, and the stage starts
out perfectly with small crowd sizes and ends with large crowd sizes. The
frequency of musou rages illustrates proper usage of when and
where to use a musou rage. There is a good variety of the different types of
non-playable generals. The case of dealing with multiple generals in a
large crowd is also shown at the very end. And lastly, the frequency of archers
is very average. The only things that Siege of He Fei Castle fails to show are
dealing with more than two generals at a time (which is very rare), dealing
with continuous crowds (which isn't much different from a very large
non-continuous crowd), fighting near archer towers, fighting near attack bases.
Sorry, my game has several scratches on it so the music in this level
is sort of messed up. So the music may come on and off. Also, these clips
are likely best viewed in full screen.
At the bottom of each character sub-section, there will be
short notes on the contents of the video clips.
I do not plan on putting these video clips on a website anymore, because the
total size is quite large, which will be quite expensive. just let me know at
www.jonnay_@hotmail.com, and I will be very glad to send it to you.
There are however many tips and strategies mentioned in the character sections
that aren't shown visually in their video clips. If you would like to see
something visually that is presented in the tips and strategies that is not
already in the clips, you may also request a quick separate clip. I do not
mind this, and would probably be glad to do it.
Unlike the Tier List FAQ, my tier list so far has been my work alone. There
has been only a few tier list questions and several contributions. Although,
I'd like to say that I've spent an ineffable amount of
time, and devotion, to making my tier list as accurate and indepth as possible,
but because of the fact that it's entirely my work alone, as well as the rest
of the guide, there are bound to be improvements. There are still some
characters that I am unsure about, that deserve some indepth discussion.
Although I don't get many emails on this...
If you want to email me about a certain character's placement in the tier list,
I would gladly accept it. But please, first have the character section read
before hand, and have the video clips of the character and the neighbooring
characters watched. At least have that much done before sending me any emails.
Thorough Chaos experience with all characters is encouraged. Obviously, it's
hard to argue to raise your favorite character, if you haven't even played
the other characters in Chaos. Also, I have to stress that it must be on
Chaos, as a tier list in Hard Mode is a totally different tier list. There
are many characters, for example Zhu Rong, who are quite good in Hard Mode,
but not so, in Chaos.
Just an interesting note of my opinion: The Xtreme Legends tier list is far
more interesting, and the Full Customization tier list is probably the
most interesting and most fair in terms of comparing movesets with the
complete freedom of full weapon customization. Some characters such as
Sun Jian and Huang Zhong are ruined by their 4th weapons, while many others
like Zhang Liao, Taishi Ci, Xiahou Yuan, and Jiang Wei are ruined by the
flinching time, which is corrected in Xtreme Legends.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Dynasty Warriors 5 Tier List:
Chaos Mode, 5-star stages, Mastered Characters, Maxed Base Stats
_______________
Lu Bu
_______________
Ma Chao
_______________
Zhuge Liang
Zhao Yun
Wei Yan
Gan Ning
Xiahou Dun
Pang De
Zhang Liao
Guan Yu
Sima Yi
Xu Huang
Zuo Ci
Ling Tong
_______________
Meng Huo
Pang Tong
Zhang He
Lu Xun
Zhou Yu
Xiao Qiao
Yue Ying
Guan Ping
Lu Meng
_______________
Xing Cai
Liu Bei
Cao Ren
_______________
Huang Zhong
_______________
Da Qiao
_______________
Sun Shang Xiang
_______________
Zhou Tai
Zhang Fei
Jiang Wei
Yuan Shao
Cao Pi
Sun Quan
Cao Cao
Dong Zhuo
_______________
Xu Zhu
_______________
Xiahou Yuan
_______________
Sun Jian
_______________
Zhu Rong
Zhen Ji
_______________
Dian Wei
_______________
Huang Gai
_______________
Diao Chan
Taishi Ci
_______________
Sun Ce
_______________
Zhang Jiao
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dynasty Warriors 5
Tier List Discussion
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Top Tier: Unparalleled Offense; Excellent Defense; Unparalleled Consistency
Lu Bu
Well, not much needs to be said on why Lu Bu is the best in the game. He doesn't
have a set of versatile charge attacks, or more like lack of variety in
his charge attacks. It is because his C3 itself is versatile, and this easily
places him in his own top tier. With very long reach, and ideal protection
with his C3, his musou filling ability is incredible. This makes him very
compatible with a long musou bar. Fill bonuses are also not a need because of
how powerful his C3 is. This would give him more options for items, such as
the Dragon Amulet. Being the only character in the game who can fill his musou
easily in one charge attack, with almost the maximum attainable musou bar
length (only 1 point from being the maximum) in the game, is easily enough to
make him by far the best character in the game. Going back to the note on his
versatile C3, it is also consistently unblockable, when controlled properly.
What more can you ask for? Against regular officers, his C3 guarantees a
filled musou bar in a very large range of crowd sizes, and makes officers
completely vulnerable to the ending of his C3. His consistent offense is
a one-musou-KO per regular officer guaranteed, and if the Ice Orb activates,
then playable officers can be defeated in just one C3 and one true musou.
Lu Bu's offensive and defensive capabilities are unparalleled. Until
Xtreme Legends, Lu Bu is by far the best character in the game on Chaos Mode.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2nd Tier: Perfect Defense; Excellent Offense
Ma Chao
This is more of theoretical tier. Ma Chao's jump charge enables him to have
a perfect defense. This type of defense is the best in the game for
ground combat, and is different from Huang Zhong's or Zhuge Liang's defense.
Huang Zhong and Zhuge Liang have what I like to call near-perfect defense,
because of distanced combat. They're only weaknesses are archers, and in
stages where archers are abundant, their weakness can be seen. Ma Chao's
jump charge is defensively ideal for even archers. Although Ma Chao's
true overall effectiveness is definitely not far from the characters in the
3rd tier, keep in mind that this is more of a theoretical tier, because only
until Xtreme Legends are there stages with lots and lots of archer crowds.
But in Dynasty Warriors 5 only, Ma Chao's perfect defense advantage, can best
be seen in Wu Zhang Plains. Wu Zhang Plains has a fair number of archer crowds.
Other threats that all other characters cannot deal with (with the exception of
Xiao Qiao) are in this stage, such as multiple juggernauts, and multiple
officers. Ma Chao's musou filling ability, and overall offensive ability isn't
enough to place him with Lu Bu, even though his defense may arguably be better.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd Tier: Very Good Defense; Fast Fill; Two-Musou-KO per Officer
Very Good Defense; Slow Fill; One-Musou-KO per Officer
Zhuge Liang, Zhao Yun, Wei Yan, Guan Yu, Gan Ning, Xiahou Dun, Pang De
Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, Zuo Ci, Sima Yi, Ling Tong
This is quite a large tier. All of the characters in this tier have very
good defense. Characters in this tier either have fast fill but needs two
musous to kill officers, or slow fill but needs only one musou per officer.
It turns out that the offensive speed is pretty close between these two types
of offenses. Because there are two types within this one tier, the order is
quite hard to determine, and easily debatable. So keep in mind that the order
isn't too big of a deal. Zhao Yun should be at the top of this tier. He is
able to easily abuse his first five normal attacks, and being able to get away
with not doing charge attacks means a lot for easy musou filling, and general
flexibility. Zhao Yun should be consistently the fastest in offense of his
type, because of his true musou. The way his true musou works is perfect.
This difference can only be seen in large crowds though. When the crowd size
is right, the length of his true musou and the good distance he covers after
the ending is all crucial, for him to have the fastest offense. Because his
musou is so long, and because he moves forward so much after the ending,
he will often have no enemies in front of him after his true musou. This enables
him to turn around and attack safely without threats from behind. And since
his true musou hurls enemies into the air, instead of scattering them,
it's very easy to refill his musou quickly after the first musou. After
his musou refills, the second true musou will defeat the officer. This isn't
much faster than the other characters in this tier, but it's enough to place
him at the very top of this tier. The only character than can do this is
Guan Yu, but he needs much larger crowds sizes to be able to achieve the
same offensive speed, because he's weaker, he needs to use short true musous,
and he's more stationary during his true musou. Being more stationary is
the key here, because he'll often not be able to attack freely after his
true musou because of enemies behind him. Wei Yan's offense can be argued to
parallel that of Zhao Yun's, but it's hard to come to conclusion. Wei Yan's
C3 has incredible musou filling ability, and needs only a small crowd size for
it to work. Thus, Wei Yan's freezing ability is by far better than Zhao Yun's.
Zhao Yun's unblockable C5 can only be done in small crowds. Zhao Yun's C4
can be done in large crowds to freeze officers, but if it fails, then
officers will be scattered. Wei Yan is at least guaranteed a 60% shot at
freezing officers. Zhao Yun has almost 100% consistency for his fast method
mentioned above, but only in large and dense crowd sizes, while Wei Yan has
merely a better chance of freezing officers. I have gotten into heated
arguments on who is better, but it's really hard to decide. In the end, I've
kept Zhao Yun at a higher placement. Think about it this way: Zhao Yun's
offense like I said 100% consistent when given the right crowd size. Wei Yan
has a much better freezing ability, but what does this mean exactly?
The answer is, not much. Against generic officers, I see Zhao Yun as clearly
the better one, because ice or no ice, Wei Yan still needs more than one
musou do finish the job. However, against playable officers, ice will
certainly give him an edge.
Zhuge Liang was particularly hard to rank in this tier.
He's consistently the fastest in stages with smaller crowd sizes. But
in others like Yellow Turban Rebellion, his musou filling phase is more time
consuming, if he has to run away for a long time. Also, if officers are on a
horse, Zhuge Liang often has no method of getting officers off their horses,
safely, other than to waste his musou. Then in this case be becomes a slow as
the characters in the 4th tier. Other disadvantages for Zhuge Liang are
that his musou rage combat isn't changed at all, and his offense returns
a consistently lower KO count. His close combat is still very
dangerous in musou rage combat. The two-musou-KO characters in this tier
are by far better in musou rages because of excellent close combat skills, and
a one-musou-KO offense on officers. Having a relatively lower crowd clearing
potential means less musou rages for Zhuge Liang, but he's not that great in
musou rages anyway.
The characters from Gan Ning to Zhang Liao are all very
close, Gan Ning has a consistently unblockable C6, and when officers are
frozen, it's possible to kill officers in one musou. When his musou is mastered,
he is a consistent two-musou-KO per officer character, but requires some work.
However, the order from Gan Ning to Zhang Liao should be almost apparent.
Gan Ning has the highest potential in killing officers in one musou. Xiahou
Dun should be close behind with his C3. Xiahou Dun is another Wei Yan.
With his safe C3, like Wei Yan's it will guarantee a 60% chance of a one-musou-
KO offense, but this offensive method for Xiahou Dun, requires much larger
crowds sizes. Generally, he'll be doing that half the time, and the other
half, his most ideal offense would be his C6. Pang De however, doesn't have
a chance at killing in one musou. Also, his offense may cause forced musous
at times, because his two most useful charge attacks, his C4, and C6, although
scattering, have slow recovery. Zhang Liao is a similar case. Zhang Liao is
a bit more flexible with normal attacks with faster recovery. But Zhang Liao's
freezing methods aren't as good as Gan Ning's or Xiahou Dun's. Zhang Liao's
C3 can't be used in large crowds. His other option is his C6, but if it fails,
then officers are hit away, and it may mean a wasted musou. If Gan Ning's
C6 fails to freeze, officers are also hit away, but it never means a wasted
musou, because his musou can still be controlled after that to hit officers
when they get up. Unlike Xiahou Dun, Zhang Liao isn't capable of killing
officers in one musou even with ice, because of a shorter musou bar, and
a lower musou frequency. Take your pick on Zhang Liao or Pang De. But Gan
Ning and Xiahou Dun are almost always better than Zhang Liao and Pang De.
Guan Yu and Xu Huang should be ranked closely. Both have light 4th weapons,
which often means actually more than two musous per officer. But Xu Huang
does have ice to help him a little, and always a C3 preceding his true musous.
Guan Yu is a special case with his true musou, and fast normal attacks.
Guan Yu has one of the fastest offenses (haha if measured accurately excluding
musou cry time) in this tier only in massive crowds. In most cases, his
offense is a one of the slowest in this tier. Xu Huang, with his C3 preceding
his short and relatively weaker true musou is almost enough to balance him out
with the characters in this tier like Xiahou Dun and Zhang Liao. The only
noticeable disadvantage in Xu Huang's offensive speed, is that his musou is
too good at crowd clearing. Like Guan Yu's he needs quite a large crowd
to be able to achieve a fast fill and two-musou-KO offense.
Zuo Ci's placement was also a hard one to decide on.
His placement can be anywhere in this tier, depending on the situation. He's
consistently a two-musou-KO character, but the question is the fast fill part.
If crowds aren't massive or surrounding, his C4 is very good at musou filling.
But if crowds close in, he'll either have to run, or attempt to musou fill
with his first five normal attacks, and escape with his jump charge after that
if necessary. He is thus a mix of both types of characters discussed in this
tier. He is often just as fast as Pang De or Zhang Liao, but in massive
crowds, he will be a consistently slower. Geez, imagine what he could do with
attack on his weapon, or even a light weapon with attack on it. With light
attacking speed, his C4 is much easier to execute safely.
Sima Yi is like Zhuge Liang, but placed a bit lower because of inconsistency
with musou filling. It'll often take about two C4's to fill his musou, and
it's not easy to do it. Zhuge Liang's jump charge musou filling is a lot
faster. But Sima Yi is a bit better in musou rages, and can use his jump
charge to hit officers off horses. But then, Sima Yi's C4 may sometimes force
him to waste his musou. This is however, quite rare, and counterattacking is a
possibility.
Ling Tong's offense is very fast. Because of a countinuous ground pounding
charge attack, his freezing ability is incredible. Even if it misses,
he has many more opportunities to freeze. His C4 offense can have very perfect
defense when mastered. Ling Tong's placement at the very bottom of this tier
is another theoretical one. Ling Tong has limitations when fighting massive
crowds, and huge limitations when fighting multiple officers. I'm treating
this as a theoretical placement, because multiple officers don't happen that
often, and musou rages can almost eliminate this limitation. But this
disadvantage still exists, and his solution is to use his jump charge,
which gives rise to a very slow offense. Having almost a planted
officer-oriented musou is very bad against multiple officers. But for Ling Tong
fans, do keep in mind that in a stage with no multiple officers, or
really large crowds, he would be placed above Gan Ning. So I do need to make
clear that there are "hidden" disadvantages for Ling Tong. Anyway, there's no
question about it; Ling Tong is in this tier.
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4th Tier: Very Good Defense; Fast Fill; Three-Musou-KO per Officer
Very Good Defense; Slow Fill; Two-Musou-KO per Officer
Meng Huo, Pang Tong, Zhang He, Lu Xun, Zhou Yu, Xiao Qiao
Yue Ying, Guan Ping, Lu Meng,
Another big tier. The concepts in this tier are similar to the 3rd tier.
Characters who have fast fill and need three musous to kill officers, tend to
be just as fast as characters who have slow fill and need only two musous
to kill officers.
Meng Huo and Pang Tong should almost definitely be at the top of this tier.
They may even deserve their own tier. Meng Huo's most ideal musou filling
is with his jump charge. Even though it's not that damaging, his musou
filling ability is quite good. I suppose both Meng Huo and Pang Tong would
fall into a middle category of Medium Fill; Two-Musou-KO per Officer or
something. Meng Huo's C3 will fill very fast in massive crowds. The problem
with Meng Huo is that he's best in massive crowds. Even a crowd of fifty
peons isn't enough depending on how dense it is. Meng Huo is a very severe
case of Xu Huang, with a musou that is too good at crowd clearing. He will
have to do slow 1-on-1 combat very often, after doing a true musou
because his true musou is just way too powerful against crowds. However, it
should be apparent the there's not much difference between Meng Huo and the
others in the 3rd tier. Forced slow 1-on-1 combat is no big deal at all. The
characters in the 3rd and 4th tier all have very good defense; it's just that
I draw the line at Meng Huo. Pang Tong needs to musou fill primarily with his
C1. He can sneak in his first normal attack quite often when using his
C1. Like Meng Huo it's only a bit slower in offensive speed, with a weak
attack, but a short musou and pretty high fill. Pang Tong needs more than
two musous though to kill officers.
Zhang He is a very special case. He has very fast fill, even with the
Dragon Amulet equipped. Although sometimes, he'll have to run around for
a bit to ensure that his jump charge is safely executed. With the fire orb,
he can kill officers in one musou, but he needs to go through his C3,
which can't be done in massive crowds. But most importantly, his musou rage
combat is the same as his regular combat if the fire orb is equipped,
and it can easily be worse than his regular combat because it's not easy to
juggle officers with his true musou. Like Zhuge Liang, Zhang He benefits very
little in musou rages. He's close to the fast fill, two-musou-KO characters
in the 3rd tier, but because he often has to lead crowds for a bit, after
his first musou, to be able to use his jump charge safely, and because his
musou rage combat is terrible, I've placed him in this tier. But for sure,
Meng Huo, Pang Tong, and Zhang He are only a little bit slower than the
characters in the 3rd tier.
Lu Xun and Zhou Yu come next. Both have a near perfect defense method of
attacking with their jump charges. But musou filling this way is quite slow.
Both jump charges have their own pros and cons. Zhou Yu's extra stomp is
sometimes beneficial, but it's very easy to use his jump charge in a way for
that stomp to often be wasted. Thus Lu Xun's jump charge can be done
more frequently. But then, Zhou Yu's jump charge has a more horizontal slope.
It's hard to come to a conclusion on which is better. Both of them also have
safe close combat methods, but Lu Xun's is by far better. Lu Xun's C3 is very
good for musou filling, and works in a large range of crowd sizes. Zhou Yu has
two very safe close combat methods but both require either massive crowds,
or a partially filled musou. The first is his C4, which consists of four
horizontal slashes, and a chance with the Ice Orb. The second is his running
attack which is very useful in massive crowds.
Xiao Qiao is another special case. Like Ma Chao, she also has a very perfect
defense. But if she were to use this as an offense, it would be incredibly
slow. She needs to resort to her C3, and C4 to be effective. She needs her
C3 to set up for her musou, because her musou can't be done without the
correct distance and alignement. Her C3 will work in smaller crowds. But in
massive crowds, she'll have a limitation with her musou because juggling
officers in massive or dense crowds is very hard, and the glitchy displacements
caused by the dense crowd is almost unpredictable. In these cases, she must
scatter the crowds with her C4. And this is an elegant solution to her
massive crowd musou limitation, because officers will always be the first to get
up, before peons do. Thus Xiao Qiao needs to resort to close combat strategies
to be effective.
Yue Ying and Guan Ping are very close, and should be side by side wherever
they are placed. They both have very fast fill, and easy way to execute
their musous against officers, and need three musous to kill officers.
Yue Ying has a medium weapon and no attack, but Guan Ping has a light weapon
with attack. Thus, their attacking strengths are very close. Both also
have a short musou bar. Guan Ping has two advantages over Yue Ying. He's
able to guarantee a successful musou in large crowds, against officers
regardless of blocking, with his C6. Blocking officers are vulnerable to his
C6 bombing. Secondly, Guan Ping has a higher chance of walking straight up
and behind an officer to start attacking with his normal attacks, because
of faster attacking speed and good attack range in his normal attacks.
The reason why Yue Ying can't do this is because of her third normal attack.
But Yue Ying does have an advantage of being much more flexible because of
fast normal attack recovery, which means less wasted musous. And Guan Ping's
C6 bombing against blocking officers isn't much of an edge, because
against blocking officers, Yue Ying's sixth normal attack or C6 will often
allow her to use her musou after, because of excellent crowd clearing ability.
This means that officers are often temporarily isolated after her sixth normal
attack or C6. Lastly, Guan Ping does have a disadvantage of a risky true musou
ending. This can be controlled, but it's hard in massive crowds. The ordering
of these two is very debatable.
Lu Meng is just slightly slower than Yue Ying and Guan Ping because of much
less flexibility. Without useful charge attacks, his normal attacks will
often make it hard for him to deal with blocking officers, especially in large
crowds. If crowds are too vast or too dense, he'll have lots of wasted musous
too. It is until Xtreme Legends, when the flinching time is extended, where
Lu Meng is able to abuse his normal attacks with full safety without
wasted musous. Lu Meng can be a lot slower than Yue Ying and Guan Ping, but he
takes only two musous to kill officers, if he has the Dragon Amulet equipped.
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5th Tier: Very Good Defense; Slow Offense
Xing Cai, Liu Bei, Cao Ren
Another point where I draw the line of offensive speed comparison. This tier
still has very good defense.
At the top of this tier is Xing Cai. Her jump charge can be abused quite easily.
But it's quite a slow method of musou filling, a lot slower than Lu Xun
and Zhou Yu's jump charges. And this is the only reason why she's placed a tier
lower. She has to spend a lot of time to musou fill with her jump
charge in a large range of crowd sizes for an ideal way of musou filling.
Until her musou is partially full, she can enter crowds with her C3 to fill
the rest of her musou. She's thus, more effective against officers in massive
crowds.
Liu Bei is quite similar to Lu Xun and Zhou Yu with the same type of
jump charge. Liu Bei will also kill officers in two musous. But I've placed him
in a tier lower, because his offense is consistently slower.
His jump charge has the steepest slope of its type, and the slash before it
is almost always a disadvantage. Liu Bei will have to run a lot longer than
Zhou Yu and Lu Xun, because of this. And having such a steep slope, it's
musou filling ability is poor. But because of this jump charge, Liu Bei does
deserve this placement in a high defense tier. He also differs from
Lu Xun and Zhou Yu, because he needs to fill more of his musou. Liu Bei's
normal attacks are only safe up until his third one, and with a weaker attack
strength, and no fill bonus on his 4th weapon, his musou filling ability with
close combat requires a more partially filled musou. Otherwise, his offense
with his musou is very good
Cao Ren's C3 is very good for distanced combat whenever it can be done.
But when crowd close in, his close combat is still quite good. While his
normal attacks aren't that defensive, it is the non-flinching property for
his normal attacks, and the high defense granted by his 4th weapon that places
him this high in the tier list. It takes a lot of hits to get him into
red health, and because he won't flinch, he'll only get hit almost with slashes
coming one by one. Because of this, he'll often survive through half a stage
before he'll get into red health, and almost nothing will cause him to go
from yellow health to zero health.
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6th Tier: Very Good Defense; Very Slow Offense
Huang Zhong
Huang Zhong deserves his own tier for very slow offense. It takes several C1's
and a few a true musous, for an ideal offense. Having to jump charge often
to use his C1 safely also takes quite some time. Equip the Way of Musou to
minimize the need to jump charge often. Although with one of the weakest
attacks in the game, the Fire Arrows will help him a lot against officers, in
large crowds. One other disadvantage for Huang Zhong is that, his offense in
musou rages, doesn't change.
After Huang Zhong's tier is when characters start to have a unavoidable
defensive flaws. Cao Ren is placed here for a very special case in
defensive potential.
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7th Tier: Good Defense; Two-Musou-KO per Officer
Da Qiao
Starting from Da Qiao, is when characters can't really be played without
getting hit. All characters from Huang Zhong and above are very capable of
surviving a stage on Chaos Mode untouched. Da Qiao's short reach is what
causes for hits to be unavoidable at times. But this is a rare case.
Sun Shang Xiang also fits this description, but her offense is by far worse
than Da Qiao's. This tier is very simple. It's only an issue with Da Qiao's
defense. There are holes in her normal attacks just before her sixth normal
attack, after her sixth normal attack, and just before her first evolution
attack. It's easiest to get hit during these relatively laggier transistions.
Getting hit at any other time, simply because of short reach still
exists, but it's very rare. Her offense with the highest attack rating in the
game, allows for a Two-Musou-KO offense per officer, with a juggling musou.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8th Tier: Good Defense; Slow Offense
Sun Shang Xiang
Sun Shang Xiang's placement theory is the same as Da Qiao's. Her defense is
hard to be considered as good as all the characters above her in the tier list.
But getting hit, even though is often inevitable, it is quite rare.
She should be placed in a separate tier lower than Da Qiao because Sun Shang
Xiang's musou juggling potential is terrible. There is a way to juggle officers
with her musou, but it's very hard, and almost impossible to do when crowds
are too dense. This makes her very dependent on the Ice Orb. When officers
are frozen, her musou deals decent damage. Sun Shang Xiang deserves to be
in her own tier below Da Qiao because her offense just can't be compared to
her's.
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9th Tier: Mediocre Defense; Mediocre Offense
Zhou Tai, Zhang Fei, Jiang Wei, Yuan Shao, Cao Pi, Sun Quan,
Cao Cao, Dong Zhuo
This is another big tier, all the characters in this tier, have worse defense
than Da Qiao and Sun Shang Xiang. All of them have unavoidable flaws.
Zhou Tai's flaw is the absense of an abusable charge attack. His C4 is the
safest, but may be risky. He does have other methods of safe musou filling
though, such as stopping after his 4th normal attack, abusing his jump
attack, or even using his C1 if he's surrounded, and his musou is almost filled
because his C1 has invincibility. Even though he has a long musou, his filling
potential is not bad because of a high attack and fill on this 4th weapon.
Zhang Fei should have the best defense in this tier. If you give him the Speed
Scroll it'll help his walking speed a lot. Although it isn't quite enough
to allow him to enter crowds always with his C3. Thus his only flaw is that
he'll sometimes be forced to do his C3 when surrounded. His first normal
attack does have decent range, but his second normal attack doesn't and
his C3 strikes may not cover enough range, when he's surrounded. Zhang Fei
is much better in Xtreme Legends, and does not deserve to be placed as low
as he is now, simply because of longer flinching time. The flinch caused by
his first normal attack is almost enough to ensure safety of the execution of
his C3. But more importantly, the extended flinching time allows him to attack
in a circle during his C3 strikes, and the flinching time makes all the
difference in whether he'll get hit or not. While I consider this an
unavoidable flaw (in massive crowds) in Dynasty Warriors 5, Zhang Fei should
be the most defensive in this tier. But this is arguable, because he and Dong
Zhuo are the only ones that might have trouble being untouched in red health,
while the others are able to just run around and abuse their true musous.
But this of course, is also minor.
Jiang Wei's defense....please refer to his section for an indepth analysis.
There's too much to say about him. The thing that causes Jiang Wei to be a
hard character to use in Chaos, is his 4th weapon with musou, and no fill.
Sure, he has long reach, and decent range in his normal attacks. His C3 can
be risky, but it's very safe if he enters crowds just after the execution.
It's his second normal attack and the execution, when it's easy for him to
get hit. His C3 ending is very good for a safe escape. But even though he has
speed on his 4th weapon, he can't always enter crowds with his C3.
Yuan Shao's C6 is very useful and has very fast recovery time. The only
challenge is executing it safely. His C6 can be abused in small crowd sizes
and everything is simple until he faces massive crowds. He has a long musou
bar with no attack on it. The fill bonus he has helps a lot, but his filling
ability is just on the border, when attempting his first three normal attacks
in massive crowds. After his first three normal attacks is when he'll get
hit easily. When there are massive surrounding crowds, when he cannot get to
his C6 safely, he has a possible solution of purposely stopping after his third
normal attack, and then escaping with his jump charge. Whatever you do with
him, it's not easy to not get hit in massive crowds, but like all others in
this tier, he has only minor, but unavoidable flaws.
From Cao Pi and to Dong Zhuo, all these characters have either safe normal
attacks or a safe way of musou filling, but because of abusable charge attacks,
they often need to force their musous.
Cao Pi and Sun Quan are very similar. Both have a long musou bar, a fill
bonus on their weapon, high attack, and a juggling musou (I've recommended
the Way of Musou on Sun Quan because of a much safer ending, and because it'll
take two musous to kill officers anyway, so Sun Quan benefits a lot
defensively) Cao Pi's C5 is very useful, but because of the long execution
it can't be done in large crowds, or even in small crowds if they aren't
clustered together. His normal attacks however are very protective, like Cao
Cao's. Like Jiang Wei, it's best to memorize the crowd size needed that will
fill his musou in his five or six normal attacks. This isn't quite as hard as
Jiang Wei, because Cao Pi has a much higher fill. But unlike Jiang Wei, Cao
Pi's sixth normal attack isn't very good, and without the extended flinching
time in Xtreme Legends, he can't quite purposely stop after his fifth normal
attack and simply walk away safely. Like other characters in this tier,
Cao Pi will have to force his musou quite often, after filling it. There's
nothing really wrong with having a potentially slow offense against officers,
in massive crowds, because he'll often be making no progress on damaging
officers, due to forced musous. But it's in smaller crowd sizes, when he can't
quite rely on his normal attacks, and will have to resort to his C5.
Sun Quan's normal attacks aren't as safe as Cao Pi's. Cao Pi is at least
somewhat good in defense in massive crowds. Sun Quan's usual charge attack
choice is his C6, which like others in this tier, have some minor unavoidable
flaws. Getting to his C6 has small defensive risks. His filling potential is
not bad; his C6 should fill his musou in larger crowd sizes, and because
it's a scattering attack he'll be wasting less musous than Cao Pi, Cao Cao,
and Dong Zhuo.
Cao Cao's filling ability can be considered the same as Cao Pi's. Both of them
have protective normal attacks. Cao Cao has no fill on his 4th weapon, but
a short musou bar. The rate at which Cao Cao fills his musou is quite close
to Cao Pi's. And similar to Cao Pi, Cao Cao's most useful charge attack is his
C5, which also has a risky execution. There's also not much Cao Cao can do
in massive crowds, other than filling his musou easily with his normal attacks,
and then wasting his musou for defense. Cao Cao is basically a copy of
Cao Pi, in terms of survival methods, and offensive methods, but Cao Cao is
slightly worse, with a shorter musou than Cao Pi, and with the same musou
filling rate as Cao Pi. This just means that Cao Cao will need about three
musous to kill regular officers, when Cao Pi needs only two. Cao Cao's high
freezing chances with his C6 isn't enough to place him above Cao Pi, because
his C6 with it's ridiculously long execution time, is only possible against
officers in small crowds. Cao Pi actually has a very high freezing chance
with his C1 against approaching officers, if timed properly with his C5.
He'll have two chances to freeze, and he only needs one of them to succeed
for double musou damage. The probability is 84%, which is very high.
This freezing method for Cao Pi is easier to access than Cao Cao's C6.
Dong Zhuo is at the bottom of this tier for possibly the worst defense.
His only seemingly useful charge attack isn't quite that useful because getting
to it is impossible in most crowd sizes. However, his 4th weapon has very
high attack, and a short musou, so his musou filling ability isn't too bad.
He would be a lot better if his 4th weapon had fill on it. But since his first
three normal attacks have such good horizontal range, it will fill a lot of
his musou bar. Like Yuan Shao, Dong Zhuo is often able to use his jump charge
safely after his first three normal attacks. And with a 360 degrees jump
charge, his musou is very easy to fill. Dong Zhuo's flaw is that the landing
of his jump charge isn't completely safe, and he's probably the one in this
tier that wastes the most musous because it's very dangerous after his
jump charge.
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10th Tier: Mediocre Defense; Very Slow Offense
Xu Zhu
Xu Zhu's defense should be as good as any of the characters in the 9th tier.
His C4 fills his musou in a large range of crowd sizes. The flaw is when it
won't fill in smaller crowd sizes, when he can get hit during the recovery
of his C4. He does however have good methods of getting crowd sizes
clustered together. Normally after his C4 crowds will be scattered all over
the place. He can use combinations of his C1 and jump attack to stall the
enemy until crowds get more clustered together, so that his C4 will guarantee
a safe recovery. But relying on a scattering attack all day long means a very
slow offense, (probably the slowest in the game) against officers.
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11th Tier: Mediocre Defense; Extremely Slow Offense
Xiahou Yuan
Well Xiahou Yuan only has an extremely slow offense, if you compare it to
others who are capable of still quite good defense. If you want to maximize
Xiahou Yuan's defense, by giving him the Speed Scroll, and use primarily
his C1 for distanced combat, he will have quite a slow offense.
Although running for a long time with a speed increase of 20, can allow him
to use his C1 safely, having to run for a long time is a very huge limitation.
Other limitations are unsuitable terrain (even a slight slope in terrain
can ruin his C1), and archer groups. Massive crowds, and the unwanted
displacement, or pushing effect from pursuing crowds, make it very hard
for Xiahou Yuan to fight in. Add in archers to limit his options or directions
to run, and his offense is even slower. Once you have more than two groups
of archers (or even just two groups of archers placed in unfavourable
spots) that are somewhat spread out, Xiahou Yuan has a lot of difficulty
in abusing his C1 safely. Although, it wouldn't be nice to nail him for
limitations, as the average stage isn't nearly this impossible, but the stage
of Mt Qi, in Xtreme Legends does exist. So, these will remain as more a
theoretical flaw in Xiahou Yuan's moveset. Imagine using him with his 4th
weapon in Mt Qi in Xtreme Legends. Mt Qi satisfies all the flaws for Xiahou
Yuan's archery methods, with steep hills, multiple officers, mounted officers,
large number of archer groups, and worst of all, less musou rages, as
there aren't any elite guards that will drop musou rage tokens. With all this
in mind though, there should be a good way of winning this stage, because
he can make use of the attack bases, to limit the number of directions
that peons, officers, and archers can come from.
One last flaw to mention is fast officers on foot. Lu Xun is a good example.
Xiahou Yuan won't be able to run faster than Lu Xun, and he can be a real
problem to face, especially in massive crowds. And this situation is not
too rare to not include it in a tier list analysis. But of course, a musou
rage is a good solution to this problem. There is only going to be one
Lu Xun in a stage. Other candidates would be Ling Tong? or Zuo Ci?
Anyway, the point is, it's all about musou rage planning, and you should have
more than enough musou rages to take care of these flaws.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12th Tier: Below Average Defense
Sun Jian
With such a weak attack, and a long musou, Sun Jian's musou filling ability is
poor. He can't abuse his first four normal attacks safely until Xtreme Legends.
His C5 is often his only choice for a safe offense, and after his C5 is
when he's vulnerable to enemy attack. He is best in massive and dense crowds
when they're large enough to fill his musou with his C5. But in all other
situations he'll have the unavoidable flaw after his C5.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13th Tier: Poor Defense; Short Reach
Zhu Rong, Zhen Ji
These two are quite similar. At a distance Zhu Rong has her useful C3, and
Zhen Ji has a good C1 and jump charge combo. But when these methods can't be
used in large crowd sizes, they have many unavoidable defensive flaws.
Zhu Rong's slow attacking speed and short reach is the problem. Musou filling
is also a lot harder with a long musou bar and a weak attack. She is only
good in small crowds, or massive crowds. Zhu Rong's incredible grounded
musou is what places her above Zhen Ji.
Zhen Ji needs to make the most of her C1 and jump charge combo to safely
sneak in three normal attacks in between for safe and easy musou filling.
Her jump charge is also very useful in small crowds, but gets pretty risky
in large crowd sizes. Zhen Ji has a short musou bar, which makes it much
easier for her to fill her musou, when compared to Zhu Rong. Like Zhu Rong,
Zhen Ji is only good in small or massive crowd sizes. Zhu Rong is placed
higher because she does not need anything preceding her musou in order to
set it up. The initial lag in Zhen Ji's musou means a huge limitation when
facing officers in large crowds. There's also not much Zhen Ji can do in a
crowd size that is not large enough to fill her short musou, but large
enough to threatening, because she doesn't have a useful charge attack.
Although Zhu Rong's C4, and C6, are risky, it's better than having nothing.
Those of you who are good at counterattacking may just as good with Zhen Ji
because it's easy to counterattack after her jump charge.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14th Tier: Poor Defense; Short Reach; Slow Walking Speed
Dian Wei
Dian Wei's the only one that fits this description. His defense isn't any
worse than Zhu Rong's or Zhen Ji's, but what makes him deserve his own tier
is that he's unable to keep his enemies in front of him at all times.
He's similar to Zhu Rong and Zhen Ji, in that he has good offensive methods
at a distance with his C5 and C4. But it's much harder to survive with Dian
Wei because of his slow walking speed. Also, Dian Wei has almost no chance
ensuring perfect defense when in red health. On the other hand, Zhu Rong and
Zhen Ji are pretty much set if they happen to get into red health.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
15th Tier: Terrible Defense; Distanced Offense Possibilities
Huang Gai
Huang Gai's and defense is worse than Zhu Rong's, Zhen Ji's,
and Dian Wei's. There's no good way of ensuring safety in close combat with
Huang Gai. He has a decent method of offense when enemies are at a distance;
his's C6 is very useful like Yuan Shao's. It's just harder to get to
it, and the recovery isn't as fast. Huang Gai can also use bombing strategies,
but it's obvious he can't keep that up forever. His close combat performance
with how his normal attack string hits, can be compared to Xiahou Yuan's.
This is why before Xiahou Jia introduced me to his safe C1 offense, I had
Xiahou Yuan placed in this tier with Huang Gai. Xiahou Yuan has his C1 for
distanced combat. His jump charge can also be considered a good attack
at a distance when enemies start to close in. Another similarity is that
both of their first two normal attacks have good reach and range, but that the
rest of their normal attacks are not so great. Players who are good at
counterattacking may find it very useful to counterattack after their
second normal attacks. Other similarities include juggling musou, and slow
walking speed, hm...and of course they both use a rod. Having slow walking
speed makes them both very inept when surrounded in massive crowds.
Counterattacking is often the only choice. It's easy to see that they are in
the same tier, that is if Xiahou Yuan didn't have his C1. Even though Huang
Gai has pretty useful charge attacks, and whole collection of unblockable
ones, namely C5, C6 and True Musou, he doesn't have a perfectly safe method
of using them.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16th Tier: Terrible Defense
Diao Chan, Taishi Ci
Both Diao Chan and Taishi Ci have terrible defense. If they should be compared
to Huang Gai though, there's no comparison with distanced
combat. Diao Chan does have her C6, and Taishi Ci does have his C5, but they
are not nearly as good or as abusable as Huang Gai's C6 as a
distanced combat method. Taishi Ci's walking speed is very slow, but with
the Speed Scroll, the difference is crucial. Again the ordering for this
tier is hard to decide on. Taishi Ci has a short musou, which means
easier musou filling. His regular musou also does massive damage against
officers. Diao Chan's C3 is her safest method of offense, but she's in no
way better than Taishi Ci in defense. Both of them have a very damaging
jump charge because of two weapons. Diao Chan's can be executed over and over
again more easily than Taishi Ci's but Diao Chan's musou filling ability is
worse than Taishi Ci's. It's very hard to decide the order. I've decided to
place Taishi Ci lower because of his juggling true musou. When in red health
he is less effective than Diao Chan, with a slower walking speed and a weaker
true musou.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
17th Tier: Worst Defense
Sun Ce
Sun Ce should deserve his own tier for very bad defense. It's hard to
argue for him to be better or equal to Taishi Ci and Diao Chan.
His problem is a long musou, with no fill, and short reach. Nothing can beat
this in terms of defensive reasoning just at a statistical glance. Dian Wei
has high fill, and his first three normal attacks have good range. Diao Chan
has high fill and a decent C3. Taishi Ci has decent fill with a short musou.
Zhen Ji has high fill with a short musou. Zhu Rong even though with a long
musou has high fill. Of all the short reach characters, Sun Ce has the worst
stats for a good defense. His only upside is fast attacking speed. With such
a low musou filling potential, he needs to always have enemies in front of him
and needs them to be clustered together. His C4 can then be safely executed
for musou filling. When not in red health, Sun Ce is the worst of all the short
reach characters.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18th Tier: Worst Defense; No Red Health Strategy, or Very Poor Red Health
Strategy
Zhang Jiao
Zhang Jiao's defense isn't too bad with his C3. But it's very hard to use his
C3 in large crowds. His planted musou is what makes him the worst defensive
character in the game. It is a planted musou that is officer oriented. This
makes it very dangerous when he has to face multiple officers, or if he happens
to be using his musou on a single blocking officer. The ending of his musou
is very unsafe. And because of this, Zhang Jiao has no way to ensure perfect
defense when in red health, when other character in the game can. All slow
characters can equip a Speed Scroll. The only character that might still have
problems is Dian Wei, but his chances are maximized with the Speed Scroll.
Speed won't do anything for Zhang Jiao, at least with his 4th weapon.
He's not quite the worst when not in red health; Sun Ce probably is.
But because Sun Ce can be considered to have a solution to his terrible defense
by purposely getting into red health, puts him a tier above Zhang Jiao.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
____________
8.01 - Lu Bu
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"Can anyone provide me with a decent challenge?"
Lu Bu is one of the best characters if not the best, for beginners because he
is arguably the best character in the game. He is likely the easiest character
to use and to master.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 40
Medium Weight
Horse 20
Defense 20
Attack 20
Musou 19
Life 19
Lu Bu has a pretty stacked weapon if you ask me. Although it should be far from
an ideal one since his moveset is one of the most defensive in the game.
Thus, it would seem to any master of Lu Bu's moveset, that Life and Defense
are wasted. It's leave pretty much Attack and Musou that are useful, and
these two are the most important. Charge would be nice. Never hurts to
have Fill in there, but Lu Bu truly doesn't need it.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Way of Musou
Dragon Amulet
Ice Orb
This configuration of items should be the most ideal for offense. It's also
defensively sound, even with no fill bonuses at all, and a very long musou bar.
Even so, his musou filling ability with his C3 is very reliable. In any case
that it isn't his C1 can be relied on for a safe escape. Because of his
compatibility with the Dragon Amulet, doing a C3 + True Musou combo will take
care of any regular officer from full health. Being able to kill an officer
in one string of attacks is very valuable. If the ice orb kicks in, stronger
opponents such as playable characters can be defeated in just one true
musou.
The Ice orb is undoubtedly the best choice, for double musou damage.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Lu Bu is one of the only two characters that are compatible with the shadow
orb. But his awesome normal attack string and second charge and are enough to
kill all peons easily. The shadow orb will merely upgrade this
slightly.
Having the longest reach in the game, Lu Bu's melee combat is second to no one.
His C3 attack is the best in the game. It has very long reach, and practically
360 degree range. The shockwave ending has enough radius to keep him safe
during the short recovery, for most situations. His C3 is his abusable charge
attack for all situations. As mentioned above, doing a full C3 along with a
true musou on regular officers is enough to kill them. A good explanation with
the concept of versatility, and how it makes Lu Bu the best, is that he has
all the qualities of versatility, and they are all focused into one charge
attack. His C3 is abusable because it is protective, highly effective against
generals in crowds, and consistently unblockable. Because it can be easily
controlled to hit blocking opponents, you always have a chance with the ice orb
activating. His C3 being unblockable, makes even more deadly. Because officers
blocking or not, are vulnerable to his C3, and after his C3, they are
vulnerable to his true musou, Lu Bu is the has the best and most consistent
offense in the game. Although it isn't an escaping move, it satisfies all the
conditions of one, because of its wide 360 degree range and fast charge
recovery time.
His C1 is one of the best in the game. Like Zhao Yun's, Lu Bu's C1 is an
invincible charge attack. The two slashes are innate fire elemental, and very
powerful. If done correctly, it is possible to hit an enemy with his first
slash, catch up quickly by moving towards him/her during his second slash, and
then following up to land a successful hit with the stomp. After the stomp you
can continue juggling while your enemy is on fire. This is quite useful on
high defense officers, such as Xing Cai at Bai Di, where juggling with fire
is the best way to go.
His jump charge is another great alternative to escape crowds, but would be
inferior to his C1. Because of his C1, you can forget about counterattacking
altogether. Since it grants all the conditions of a good counterattack.
There is no reason to use any of his other charge attacks because they are
all inferior to his C3.
Since, Lu Bu's reach is so long, if you can time it correctly, so that you hit
generals with the tip of his reach, they will never block it, simply because
his reach is just so long. Get this timing down, and killing a general in a
large crowd from full health, can be done faster than 7 seconds.
(refer to section 14) Furthermore, enemy officers beyond roughly 6-7 paces
away (generally an officer approaching from a distance) will want to do
their running attacks, which means they won't block his first normal attack,
or his C3 strikes. This is why officers tend to just walk straight into his
C3.
Something interesting to mention: contrary to (I'm guessing) popular belief,
with all characters equipped with their fourth weapons, Lu Bu's attack
strength is not the strongest in the game. His attack strength is second
strongest, and is behind Da Qiao's. The results of this mainly have to do with
weapon weight. (refer to section 14)
A minor thing: the best archers (Im guessing) from each alliance are able to
pull out their bows at any time during certain charge attacks. This includes
the execution time and recovery time. These characters are Huang Zhong, Lu Bu,
Xiahou Yuan, and Gan Ning. Each of these characters are able to pull out their
bows at any time during their C1's. This may either cancel the charge attack,
or allow you to shoot an arrow directly after the C1. While this
isn't much of a useful tip, it is only a minor aspect of these characters,
not covered in other guides. Using this to full potential you can hit
generals into the air with a C1, and then aim directly after in the air and use
the bow musou to juggle the general, with fire arrows. This is of course
incredibly hard to do and useful only for Huang Zhong and maybe Xiahou Yuan.
Lastly, only Huang Zhong out of those four characters can pull out his bow
during his C5.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________
8.02 - Ma Chao
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"I fight in the name of Justice"
Ok...for this guy there IS no need for tips if you're just gonna ride around on
the Shadow Runner, and continuously slash peons, as if stepping on
millions of ants. I honestly think Koei made him way to cheap on horse. But
personally, it's really dishonorable to fight on horse with Ma Chao...c'mon,
get off the horse and fight like everyone else. Hahaha, but Ma Chao, on his
horse should deserve his own god tier. Well, for the average stage, he isn't
really better than Lu Bu, but for theoretical reasons, he should be in his
own god tier for more absolute defense. Horse combat is really stupid in this
game, since peons take the time to jump and then attack. It doesn't take much
mastery to dodge all these pathetic attacks. But anyway, his uberness can be
realized in later stages, in Xtreme Legends and Empires, where Stone Soldiers
and Phantom Soldiers are abundant.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 38
Medium Weight
Horse 20
Speed 15
Defense 16
Attack 17
Life 15
Not so great of a weapon, even for horse combat. If you want to maximize his
horse combat, give him a heavy weapon, and fill. But for ground combat analysis
which is the only important thing in this guide, everything is wasted
except for Attack. It should be easy to realize that his flawless battle
strategy is to abuse his jump charge for musou filling. His weapon would be
better with a musou bonus, since musou filling is essentially free, and since
he relies a lot more on a true musou than other characters because his musou
strikes aren't very frequent at all. Having a long musou will prolong the
fire depletion damage. Fill and Charge doesn't hurt too.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Way of Musou
Ginseng/Dragon Amulet
Ice Orb/Light Orb
Whatever you give him for his 5th slot, isn't going to change much.
Giving him a longer musou with the Dragon Amulet does very little, since
his musou strikes aren't very frequent. You're really only getting a little
more fire damage from the Dragon Amulet. Without the Dragon Amulet, it takes
only a little more than two true musous to kill regular officers. The Ice Orb
will help a little bit only because again, the low frequency in his musou
strikes. It still is the best orb to give him, for some temporary double
damage. Light Orb however might be useful to set up for his true musou after
his C6. Of course, his C6 is another one of those consistently unblockable
charge attacks if you use it properly, but after the charge attack, Ma Chao
might be too far away from the officer for his musou strikes to reach.
The choice is up to you.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Even fighting on foot, "This Ma Chao's a Tiger of a Man" as Cao Cao says in
Dynasty Warriors 4.
The best way to go for Ma Chao is obviously his jump charge. His jump charge
gives him a perfect defense, even better defense than Lu Bu. While everyone
else would have more of a weakness against archers, Ma Chao's jump charge
has it all, offense and defense, all in one jump charge attack. If musou
filling seems a bit slow, even with the Ginseng on. Just do his first
four normal attacks, and then jump charge to escape. This should be considered
a fullproof way of musou filling. Approach officers in crowds from the left
side, since his first musou strike is to his right. Execute his true musou
just as you pass the officer. Master this, and officers in crowds are
completely helpless.
His C3 is quite useful against approaching officers. Because of its jabbing
range, it should be used only against approaching crowds. This charge attack
is very damaging, and very useful too to hope for the activation of the
Ice Orb on officers.
His C6 is very similar to Guan Yu, in that his fifth normal attack is also
a vertical strike, and his fourth normal attack, a horizontal one. This makes
it somewhat hard to execute safely, but still, it's a very useful charge
attack. It's a bit inferior to Guan Yu's because of the distance he covers
during the charge attack, because if you face away from the officer, to
maximize the chances of hitting the officer, if the Ice Orb activates, then
he too far from the officer for his musou to benefit much at all from the
ice. Other than that, his C6 like Guan Yu's and many other charge attacks,
should be considered a consistently unblockable charge attack.
For both Ma Chao and Jiang Wei, you should always try to attack a general
close up. Their first normal attack has much more reach than their second
normal attack. So if you attack a general with the very tip of the reach of
their first attack, you are likely to miss with the second. Generals will
attack you in this situation. (usually a jump attack)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
__________________
8.03 - Zhuge Liang
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"Just as I planned"
A much better character compared to previous installments of Dynasty
Warriors. The big up is his musou. His musou is greatly, and I mean greatly,
improved. The strength of it is strong enough to take out officers in just one
musou, making Zhuge Liang one of the game's fastest general killers.
Although his close combat skills are one of the worst in the game, they can
all be avoided. Zhuge Liang's distanced combat is all he needs for his defense,
and musou filling, and his musou is all he needs for his offense. Zhuge Liang
was particularly hard to place, in this tier list, mainly because he's the
only one in this tier who is capable of killing officers in just one musou,
which gives him one of the fastest offenses in the game; but there are some
set backs that make him not stand out from the rest, as much. If he is to
confront officers on horse, he might need to waste his musou to get the officer
off the horse, if he jump charge isn't possible. However, with full
customization, in Xtreme Legends, he's capable of killing officers in just
one musou with the officer on the horse! This gives him consistently the
fastest offense in the game, and is enough to place him in Lu Bu's tier.
(Please refer to section 10)
One other thing is, that Zhuge Liang's strategy stays the same in musou rage
combat; he still has to get to a safe place, fill his musou, then use his
musou. All other characters in this tier, as well as some characters in other
tiers, are capable of much more than Zhuge Liang, in musou rage combat. The
presence of archers is also a threat for Zhuge to waste his musou. But all of
these are very minor disadvantages for him. But in regular combat, and the
average stage, his defense and offense are one of the best.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 32
Medium Weight
Charge 18
Fill 15
Bow 15
Defense 18
Musou 20
Not a good weapon at all, although, it's enough to make Zhuge Liang pretty
awesome. Charge and Fill are very useful for faster musou filling with his
jump charge. Bow is essentially a wasted slot, even though Zhuge Liang's
only theoretical weakness in his jump charge is archers. Defense should be
considered a wasted slot, because his distanced combat strategies are good
enough to keep him untouched. Musou is needed, especially without Attack
on the weapon, for him to be able to eliminate officers in one musou.
Because his jump charge speed, is unaffected by weapon weight, Zhuge Liang
is most compatible with a Heavy Weapon. (See section 10 for his ideal weapon)
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Speed Scroll
Ginseng
Way of Musou
Orb choice is irrelevant
Speed is the crucial item here. Without speed on his weapon, he needs an
increase of speed of 20, in order for his distanced combat to work. His default
walking speed is not enough to outrun pursuing crowds. The Speed Scroll does
the job. The Way of Musou isn't truly needed. It's just recommended for
the fire, and the ending, to take on stronger officers, such as playable
characters. The Way of Musou also helps in cases where you mess up with his
musou and officers drop to the ground. With his regular musou, against
stronger officers that don't perish after one full musou, the ending often
lags too much and ends up missing. This might cause some problems after the
musou, depending on the distance between Zhuge and the officer. The Way of
Musou is recommended thus, for offensive and defense reasons.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
The one and only general strategy is to musou fill with his jump charge
and take out officers with his true musou. With the Speed Scroll equipped,
he is able to create unlimited chances to execute his jump charge safely.
It doesn't take many jump charges to fill his musou. Master the safety
distance required to execute his jump charge without getting hit, and master
the simple steering of his musou, and you've mastered Zhuge Liang.
There's probably no reason to analyse any of his other moves. They are all
inferior because they resort to close combat. One thing worth mentioning
though, is his C1. If you use his C1, lag for a little bit, and time the
explosion so that it will explode just before Zhuge Liang lands from his
jump charge, then you have a safe landing. But then, if you have enough
distance to spend time using his C1, then you have enough distance to just
use his jump charge safely. The useful of this strategy though, can be seen
when facing approaching officers on horse. If the officer is approaching with
a crowd, but is not in the crowds lead, Zhuge Liang's jump charge won't work.
Use this C1 + jump charge strategy to ensure a safe landing of his jump charge
if the distance is correct, to hit officers on horse. Otherwise, you would
need to waste his musou to get them off.
As mentioned above, Zhuge Liang's musou rage strategy stays the same, and thus
seems to not really benefit at all from a musou rage. His close combat is
still very risky in a musou rage. Most of the characters in musou rage are
capable of achieving better results than him. But this isn't much of a
disadvantage, because afterall, with or without musou rage, his offense is
still going to take out officers quickly.
Because Zhuge Liang is stationary during his jump charge for a good period of
time, his only weakness is archers. This will slow his offense down a bit,
because he will have to waste his musou to take them out, in order for an
ideal defense. But if you think about it, Zhuge Liang's method of offense
does so little in crowd clearing, that you can often make use of the
enemy crowds to shield yourself properly from the straight-sight of archer
crowds. But he's very limited when he has to faced multiple archer crowds,
although obviously, this is only a theoretical limitation because in the
average stage, archers crowds don't come in packs or anything. His archer
weakness can be seen in the later expansion, Xtreme Legends, in the stage
Mt Qi. Otherwise, this weakness is pretty negligible, in defense. But since
we've touched on Mt Qi, if a tier list is made on just the stage Mt Qi,
Zhuge Liang would deserve his own god tier, despite his archer weakness and
cowardly combat against multiple officers. The point is...it still won't take
him long to fill his musou, and he's the only one who can kill officers in
one musou in that stage, consistently.
I want to end Zhuge Liang's section by recommending (especially for Zhuge
Liang fans) to check out his analysis in section 10. He is configured with
a Heavy weapon, and speed on the weapon. This gives him 40 speed, 20 fill,
20 charge, and a significantly higher attack (the highest attainable in the
game actually). This means that one jump charge will often fill his long
musou quickly. And with the new True Way of Musou item, his musou in a musou
rage will take out the enemy commander in one musou. Others, like Gan Ning
are also capable of this, but Zhuge Liang shows much more consistency.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
8.04 - Zhao Yun
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"I challenge you"
Zhao Yun has a lot of versatility in his moveset, except that he doesn't have
a distanced attack. He is very effective at fighting officers in any crowd
size, and has charge attacks that are abusable for both crowds and generals.
He has an unblockable attack, and an attack that grants invincibility. Being
this versatile, the quality of being very easy to use is apparent for Zhao Yun.
Generally, there is nothing that Zhao Yun lacks. The only things he can be
nailed for are, although he is very versatile, his versatility is split into
various charge attacks (unlike Lu Bu who has all the important aspects of
versatility in one charge attack), that his offensive effectiveness is far
from the best. His ability to free officers in crowds is also below average.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 36
Medium Weight
Charge 16
Defense 17
Attack 17
Musou 17
Life 17
It's a Fierce Dragon alright. It's quite close to what I would consider
an ideal weapon for him. Nothing really seems to be wasted, except for
Life and Defense, if you're a master of Zhao Yun. But those would only be
swapped for Fill and Speed, two other attributes that Zhao Yun doesn't really
need. The weapon weight is also easily the most compatible.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Way of Musou
Dragon Amulet/Ginseng/Herbal Remedy
Ice Orb
Zhao Yun doesn't really benefit much from any fifth item. Do almost anything
you want with this last slot. Ginseng for more fill never hurts, but
he definitely doesn't need it. Herbal Remedy would seem like a better
choice because it's never really wasted, when he does his useful charge
attacks. But using his charge attacks isn't quite his best or most
effective way of offense. Since his normal attacks are so abusable, and thus
musou filling so easy, the Dragon Amulet would be my preference. Although,
if you analyse it's usefulness, it seems to only help against stronger officers
like playable characters. Against regular officers, Dragon Amulet or no
Dragon Amulet, it's gonna take two true musous to kill an officer.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Zhao Yun's normal attacks are his main advantage. Although he has two
vertical strikes, the attacking speed with the medium weapon weight is
fast enough to still make his normal attacks very safe. His third and fifth
normal attacks are practically 360 degrees. The best way to fill his musou
is to just simply use his normal attacks. Like Guan Yu and many others, his
important normal attacks have fast recovery. Stopping after his fifth
normal attack is always safe. Attacking, over again, is almost always possible.
If not, he has his C1 for an escape route. The ideal strategy should be
to musou fill with his normal attacks, and use his true musou against
officers. Since his normal attacks are so protective, he can safely walk
right past officers, if the crowd isn't too massive, and start attacking
the officer from behind. His walking speed is fast enough to make this work.
This allows Zhao Yun to basically, fill his musou while fighting officers in
crowds. There's really no "musou filling" phase with him. Keep in mind though
that this can be risky in larger crowds. Something else that is very nice
for Zhao Yun is that since his true musou hurls peons into the air, if the
crowd size is big enough, he can quickly refill his musou while continuing
to juggle the officer in the process, and finish the officer off after his
musou refills. This is very fast offense, even though it's composed of two
musous, it is still a fast single string of attacks. Everything about his
true musou makes this offense easily possible. Because it's officer-oriented,
peon casualties are relatively minimal, which helps to maximize the peons
hurled into the air after the ending of his true musou. In most crowds, the
distance that he travels during his true musou, is also an advantage. The
distance covered during the ending is also very crucial. Unlike Guan Yu, after
his true musou Zhao Yun will often have the entire crowd behind him, as well
as the officer. This makes it very possible and very safe to just turn
around and attempt refilling his musou. The fact that his officer-oriented
musou will let most of the dead peons drop to the ground is no disadvantage,
because the second true musou will defeat the officer.
Zhao Yun's C4 is probably his best charge attack. Because of 360 degrees
of attack range, it's obviously very protective. Using this charge attack
as an offense though is somewhat inferior to just abusing his normal attacks
because there's no need at all to scatter enemy crowds. His normal attacks
will take care of small crowds. His normal attack and his true musou ending
will take care of massive crowds. His C4 though is probably his best way of
freezing officers in crowds. But again, it's not really necessary, and
in the case of failure, the officer is hit away.
His C6 is a more useless version of his C4. For one thing, it does
not activate the orb, so it is in other words, non-elemental. Execution time as
well as recovery time are pretty much identical. But it's way worse than his
C4 because it doesn't have 360 degree range. It still has scattering
ability. The range of it is mainly to the right side of Zhao Yun, so turning
slightly left may allow you to hit the enemies that you want to hit. It is
also an aerial attack which means that if you get hit you will be susceptible
to enemy juggling. His C6 is inferior in every way to his C4.
Zhao Yun's C5 has very far reach. Since it is directly vertical,
the range isn't so great. But there is an important reason to use his fourth
charge, because it is his only unblockable move. It has so much
range, that it is possible to hit generals when they are blocking. This makes
it a bit easier for Zhao Yun to deal with officers in crowds when they
are blocking. This really adds a nice touch of versatility to his charge
attacks.
His C1, like Lu Bu's has invincibility during the attack. So it's a
great move for escaping. I suppose it can be said his C1 can replace his
counterattack, but unlike Lu Bu, Zhao Yun can be attacked an the end of it,
but the chances are still slim. If you decide to use this move for
escaping, keep your eye on the map, and steer it into a safe area.
It's a good idea to use his jump charge whenever it is safe enough to do so.
It's the stongest of Zhao Yun's attacks without his musou. His jump charge is
even better if you prefer to use the fire orb, since it is perfect to follow
up with his jump charge directly after his C3 or C5. Once
you get the timing down, you can do it whenever an enemy general is just about
to get up. Doing this a few times will kill a regular general quickly. But
even without the fire orb, his air charge can be done in conjunction with
fire, if you do it directly after his true musou.
This pretty much concludes tips for using Zhao Yun. His incredible ability at
crowd clearing and dueling generals and fighting generals in crowds make him a
very strong and balanced character.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________
8.05 - Wei Yan
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"Die"
Wei Yan is excellent in fighting officers in large crowds. His attacks
offer very protective range. Comparing Wei Yan to the rest of the characters
in the same tier, he lacks only the reach.
___________________
4th Weapon Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 36
Medium Weight
Charge 16
Luck 15
Defense 16
Attack 18
Musou 15
Not a bad weapon. Luck is useless. With a musou bonus and no fill bonus,
means that his C3 will fill his musou in a bigger small range of crowd sizes.
It will fill against a peon crowd of 10 though, and that's what needs to be
memorized. If he were to be configured with no musou bonus, and 40 fill,
his C3 fills his musou in a peon crowd of 5. Negligible difference in most
cases, but still worth noting.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Ginseng
Speed Scroll
Fire Orb/Ice Orb
Wei Yan doesn't need the Speed Scroll, but it seems to be the most useful
fifth item. Having faster walking speed will make it a lot easier for him to
just walk straight up to an officer, especially playable officers, whom are
often surrounded by massive crowds, and start executing his incredible C3,
and then a musou.
Normally, for a character with a juggling musou, I'd recommend the Way of
Musou, but Wei Yan's true musou ending seems to miss sometimes because of
a slight lag. Officers that drop to the ground at this moment will definitely
cause trouble for him when he recovers from the long recovery of his true
musou. Against regular officers, his regular musou, assuming that it's done
always with a C3 preceding it, will take two musous to kill an officer.
Fire + a regular musou isn't quite enough to kill in one musou. So it would
seem that fire is useless, against regular officers. Giving him the Ice Orb
will give him about a 60% chance to be able to deal double musou damage, but
this is only useful against playable officers, as it will enable him to defeat
playable officers in two musous, instead of three. But then, with the Fire
Orb equipped, he secures 100% consistency with defeating playable officers in
two musous. It would seem that the Fire Orb is the better choice. It
probably is. But the actual probability with the Ice Orb against playable
officers is higher than 60%, because of the first two musous (assuming a
possible third), he needs only ice to activate on one of them. So here's
mathematical analysis: If there's roughly a 60% chance in freezing, then there's
40% chance in not freezing. Failing on both the first two C3's is thus a
0.40^2 = 0.16, which means a 16% chance of failure only. Having an 84% chance
in defeating playable officers in two musous is a very high chance. This is
slightly higher than guaranteeing on average 4/5 playable officers defeated
in two musous. Presented with the facts now, it would still seem that the Fire
Orb's 100% consistency in defeating playable officers in two musous, is better
than the Ice Orb's 84%, but here's why I still recommend the Ice Orb, and
why it's my preferred orb to equip. Playable officers often come in massive
crowds, and because his musou isn't the easiest to control, if crowds are
too dense it may be hard to keep track of where the officer is, because
two things, the unwanted displacement idea, and simply because there are too
many peons on the screen. So with the Ice Orb, it is guaranteed that all of
his musou strikes are successful.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Like many characers in this tier, Wei Yan will get by all stages with pretty
much one abusable strategy. As mentioned above, with the Ginseng, his C3 will
fill his musou in a peon crowd of 10. It'll actually fill in less, but since
they usually come in groups of 5, 10 is a good number to set the limit.
Make use of this to calculate at a glance, when officers are approaching,
to see if you will end up with a full musou after a full C3. If so, do it.
If not, it means that the crowd size is pretty small, so you can either
do it anyway, or resort to his C4. Wei Yan's walking speed is fast enough to
just walk right up to officers, if the crowds aren't too dense. Be sure to
approach from the right side, because of the way his first normal attack
swings. This is usually safe in most crowd sizes. After that, you have about a
50% chance of killing the officer in one musou. If the ice does not activate,
simply do this combo again, if the crowd is still large enough. The officer is
now defeated. This really is the ideal strategy for Wei Yan.
His C4 gives him another possibility. Its usefulness is kind of similar to
Zhao Yun's. He will rarely want to use his C4 to scatter crowds, but it is
a choice, for when you don't want to use his C3 and then likely end up
wasting his musou to save him from the recovery time.
It is possible for generals to drop to the ground just before the ending to his
true musou, because it is just too slow. In this case, generals will get up
and begin attacking you during the long recovery time of his true musou, and
often the only solution to this is to counterattack. This is one of Wei Yan's
only disadvantages, but I consider it a pretty serious one.
One small disadvantage is that his third normal attack may sometimes be out of
sync. This is due to his third normal attack covering too much attack range,
and depending on the angle, it may execute sooner than it should. This means
that sometimes his third normal attack will execute earlier than expected, and
the result is that it will clump together with his second normal attack.
Because of this irregular pacing of attacks, this will allow generals enough
time to block or attack you, before he reaches his fourth normal attack.
His C3 sadly isn't quite all-purpose. It's height is too low to hit
officers on horse. Doing a quick musou is the safest way to go here.
Not a big deal since musou filling is so easy with Wei Yan.
His C5 really adds an elegant balance to Wei Yan's character. With
his C5, he is one of the most versatile characters in the game,
as he can also do battle at a distance. This helps a lot in melee confusion
between allies and enemies. He can use this to hit officers from a distance
safely, and lure them to follow you.
His C6 activates the orb from the very beginning. He spins his
double voulge, or whatever, many times and then finishes with a scattering
attack. You can however, stop in the middle of this charge attack, and juggle
your enemies (likely an officer). If you stop at the very end of the spinning
sequence (this is when the enemies are at their peak height) you can start
over, thus continue to juggle your enemies. This works very well if you have
the fire orb equipped. Not much of a useful tip, but a nice note on how
to juggle with his C6.
You may want to take out small groups of peons by simply doing his
air charge. It should be strong enough to dispatch peons in one strike with
the Green Scroll equipped.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
8.06 - Gan Ning
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"You got no chance against me"
This pirate is one crazy killing machine. His killing power against both
generals and peons, is one of the fastest. While it is definitely not the
best or most efficient it is potentially the fastest. But to be potentially the
fastest, I mean everytime you attempt to freeze a general, it is successful,
and everytime you do his musou you steer it correctly that you hit the general
enough times to kill the general (given that the general is a unplayable
character; other characters like the commander, or playable characters will
take more than one musou). Of course, the success rate of the ice orb isn't
extremely reliable, but I have had games where I've taken out 5 or 6 generals
in a row (at Chi Bi) with one musou per general. So the Ice Orb's success rate
is the reason I use the word "potential". Even so, He can be considered one of
the most efficient characters. With his musou, you can quickly rack up kills.
The nice thing is that he is the fastest at killing generals (without
consistency sadly), and one of the fastest at demolishing crowds.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 38
Light Weight
Charge 15
Luck 18
Speed 15
Attack 19
Musou 15
A medium weight weapon would probably be better for a stronger musou, and
practically the same defensive capabilities. This weapon is still a very
good one. All of the stats except for Luck are useful.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Herbal Remedy
Ginseng
Ice Orb
Pretty self-explanitory. Since his charge attacks have superb reach and range,
the Herbal Remedy will proof useful and the Ginseng will charge his musou very
easily and quickly.
Ice is by far the best choice. You can say goodbye to any frozen officer by
unleashing his musou...steering it correctly, that is.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
While there are many C1's that grant invincibility, for example, Zhao Yun's,
there aren't any OTHER charge attacks that do the same, except for Gan Ning's
C6. This was discovered accidentally, which is not a surprise since the
execution time for it is very quick. But I was playing one day, and I saw two
slashes go right through him during the execution time. And doing further
tests to confirm this, it is true. And come to think of it, I've never gotten
hit during his fifth charge. Being invincible during the execution doesn't
really help too much, but still useful and good to know. It is still possible
to get hit during his C6 though, like right after it executes, and this
is truly a rarity. This happens when an officer does a quick jump attack,
and yes...the timing has to be absolutely dead on.
His musou, needs much practise to master. Since he runs so fast it's quite hard
to control where you're going once to you want to turn around, because the
camera angle won't be where you want it to be. Maybe Koei will make the camera
situated behind him the entire time in future installments...that would be
better. But once you learn and get used to the speed of his musou, you can kill
frozen generals with your eyes close. Learn the area covered when running in
the smallest circle possible. More specifically, learn the distance...or the
diameter of the circle (a spatial memory of the diameter if you will). Once
you have this down, you can manually position a general anywhere on the
circumference of the circle, and kill him/her instantly. This is obviously just
a guideline; more importantly, what this guideline stresses, is to learn and
understand precisely the speed of the musou, and how sharp he can turn. A good
idea is to fight along a wall. This way you don't have to run around in a
circle, and you can ignore all that circle-diameter-circumference crap. Once
generals are along a wall and frozen, they will be practically killed
instantly. Generally, try to save his musou until generals are frozen.
Freezing generals with Gan Ning is very easy to do with his C6, but like
Zhang Liao's C6, if ice doesn't activate, officers are hit away.
Just attempt freezing with his C6 once, and if it fails, you can still use
his musou, and kill officers in just two musous, which makes his offense
(with a discontinuous musou surprisingly) like the characters in his tier.
Please take the time to watch my "How to Use Gan Ning's Musou" video, to
understand visually, how to maximize his musou strikes against officers,
without ice.
If his musou is completely mastered though, just use it even if ice fails to
succeed with his C6. Approach officers with his musou always from the right
side. With the speed and steering mastered, you should be able to get two
"run throughs" on officers. The controlling is much harder than against
frozen officers, because after the first run through, the officer will likely
but on the ground, and this is where you want to run forward for a little
bit to waste time. Officers always get up from the ground after a constant
time, so with all these things mastered, it shouldn't be too hard to always
get two run throughs (I really can't think of a better term to describe er...
a run through :P) against officers that aren't frozen. Then without ice, he
still deserves to be in this tier, because his musou is strong enough to kill
officers from full health in two musous. With a medium weapon and the True
Way of Musou item in Xtreme Legends, it takes only one musou to own regular
officers from full health, and this is without ice. This makes Gan Ning one of
the top tier characters.
Even though Gan Ning has short reach, and he hops during his fourth normal
attack, he's still very defensive. Never enter a crowd with his third normal
attack, and probably not even his fourth normal attack. Enter with his first
normal attack, his C5, or his C6. His C5 is quite useful because of the
fast recovery.
Gan Ning has two attacks that cover full 360 range, both also with very good
reach: his C5, and C6. The main deciding factor to determine which one to use
depends on their differences. His C6 is easier to execute (because of a good
fifth normal attack, and the fact that it grants brief initial invincibility)
but harder to recover from. And conversely, his C5 is harder to execute
(because his fourth normal attack is not so great), but much easier to recover
from because of the faster recovery time. So which one is better?? if you have
his musou charged, using his C6 is the better move, since you then don't have
to worry about recovery time. Also, in large crowds it will likely not be safe
to use his C5. If the crowd is large enough, his C6 can fill his musou. But
without a full musou bar, it's still not a big deal of which one to use, but
these execution and recovery differences should be kept in mind.
His C5 and C6 can be considered as unblockable. Since the reach is quite
good, generals won't block it if distances are correct. The good
thing is that it doesn't matter whether generals are blocking during your
normal attacks or not, this charge will always hit. This makes the battle
pretty hopeless for enemy officers.
His C3 is another great way for freezing generals. It's pretty safe during and
after the charge attack, but only in small crowd sizes.
Another alternative for defeating generals quickly is to follow up with his
jump charge directly after his C5. This quickly shaves off chucks of
life along with fire. But obviously, this is only an option when generals
isolated.
Gan Ning does not need a scattering attack, but his C4 is a
very good scattering charge attack. There is the disadvantage of his third
normal attack which has minimal attack range, so his C4 can't really be used
effectively.
One minor disadvantage is that he hops during his fourth normal attack, and
since the reach isn't very good, if you get hit, you'll be into the air, for
potential enemy juggle. This disadvantage can be ignore however, if you never
present this weakness to the enemy. With Gan Ning, always enter a crowd with
either his first normal attack, or his C5, or C6. The reason is obvious;
If you always have no enemies behind him, his attacking speed is safe enough
to ignore his third and fourth normal attack flaws.
An interesting but useless fact: Gan Ning is one of the four characters
that is able to pull out his bow during his first charge. This will
either cancel execution of his first charge, or allow him to use an
arrow attack directly after his first charge.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_________________
8.07 - Xiahou Dun
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"It's over"
One of my favorite characters to use, simply because of the variety of moves,
and it takes much practise to master him. A fast attacker with a
protective set of normal attacks.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 36
Medium Weight
Horse 16
Defense 17
Attack 17
Musou 16
Charge 17
A very good weapon for Xiahou Dun. Fill would have helped him a lot.
In Xtreme Legends, with the configuration of True Way of Musou, maximum
attack, and fill 40, his musou fills in almost any crowd size, with his C3.
Thus, his best offensive strategy would resemble Wei Yan's.
Before the Xtreme Legends expansion however, Xiahou Dun will stick to being
a crappier version of Wei Yan.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Ginseng
Herbal Remedy/Way of Musou/Speed Scroll
Fire Orb/Ice Orb
Even though the ending of his true musou has two parts, I like to stay away
from using it because the first part, the shockwave part is too slow, and
generals sometimes drop to the ground. They stay on the ground during the very
last part of the true musou, and get up directly after. In this situation,
they always start attacking right away, leaving your only option to be
counterattacking. This is however a rare case. For personal reasons, I don't
give him the Way of Musou, because since his attacks are so fast, it just
seems boring and unnatural because the ending of his true musou is so slow;
with is regular musou, battle just seems way cooler, because of the consistent
killing speed. Anyway, his true musou has this rare flaw, and isn't really
needed because it's still going to take him more than one musou, without ice,
to kill officers, even if he has a lot of normal attacks preceding.
The Ginseng helps a lot to make his C3 possible in large crowd sizes.
But still, with fill 20 and a long musou, he'll need a pretty large crowd
size to make his C3 safe. All he needs when facing officers, is a crowd size
that is large enough to fill his long musou with his C3. Lastly, since
he doesn't benefit much at all from the Herbal Remedy or Way of Musou,
some may prefer to equip the Speed Scroll on him. This is very useful when
fighting officers in massive crowds, as having a faster walking speed will
allow him to walk up to officers in these situations safely, to then
abuse his C3.
With the very similar 4th weapon stats as Wei Yan, and similar offensive
methods, Xiahou Dun's elemental orb analysis is the same. Refer to Wei Yan's
section for a discussion on weighing the pros and cons of fire and ice.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
While his reach can be better, all of Xiahou Dun's normal attacks except for
his third one have really good range. It is a lot of times quite safe to stop
after his second or fifth normal attack, to anticipate a counterattack, or to
start over attacking again, like the strategy with using Guan Yu. This is
merely a technical thing, as you would never really have to rely on this
method because his charge attacks are very versatile. As mentioned above
Xiahou Dun can walk into the middle of crowds to attack an officer, and
go through to his C3, if the crowds are big enough to fill his musou.
This makes him as good as Wei Yan, but only in large crowds. But for most
situations, he's another Zhang Liao, who has to waste his third normal attack.
Since his second normal attack slashes from left to right, you would naturally
be turning clockwise to waste his third normal attack. Also, because his
fourth normal attack, fifth normal attack, and first strike of his C6, are
all horizontal slashes from left to right, turning clockwise makes the most of
the range of these attacks. This is very very defensive. Using his C6 this
way, he resembles characters like Zhang Liao in a way, because he has a
separate musou filling phase, and then a musou phase. The same sort of strategy
applies to Xiahou Dun; it's just that Xiahou Dun is faster, more defensive,
and his C6 is better. Like Zhang Liao, if officers are blocking, just use his
C6, and let the officer block it. After blocking it, the officer will be wide
open for a free musou. But if officers aren't blocking, you can fit in the
first strike of his C6, before using his musou. While this isn't much of an
advantage over Zhang Liao's C6 in Dynasty Warriors 5, the advantage can be
seen in Xtreme Legends, where the first strike of his C6 is elemental.
Xiahou Dun's C1 is quite useful against archers. He can quickly take out
archers with just the first part of his C1, while running away from crowds.
The last strike should be rarely used because it requires a safe recovery.
His C1 is also useful to just use the dashing part to quickly get an officer's
face for an easy musou set up. This is especially useful in musou rage
combat. Generally a very useful charge attack.
Use his C4 skillfully for scattering crowds. By skillfully, I mean
trying not to get hit after his third normal attack, which is totally vertical.
His C4 is inferior to his second and fifth. Not because of the
charge attack itself, but because it is hard to execute it safely because
of his terrible third normal attack. With Xiahou Dun, there is still little
need to scatter the enemy. His C1 is a better and safer scattering attack than
his C4 is.
His C6 is one of the coolest looking moves. Note that only the last of the two
parts of his C6 is elemental. This makes it very hard to freeze a general with
it, since the first part of it, will hit his enemies into the air.
It is however, very possible to do it, once mastered. When attacking generals
with his normal attack string, start to swirve off to the left of the officer
after his fourth normal attack, and have his fifth normal attack hit the
general at the very tip of its reach. His fifth normal attack has wide
horizontal range that slashes from left to right, which is why you should
swirve to the left. Hitting the officer at the very end of his fifth normal
attack this way is very crucial for this work, for two important reasons:
swirving off to the left will create enough safety distance so that the
general cannot hit him, because you are purposely missing the general with the
first part of his C6. Secondly, hitting with the very end of his fifth normal
attack will give you more time; since you want to miss with the first part of
his C6, you want as much safety distance and time as possible. Anyway, this
takes some practice, but with it mastered, it is pretty easy to freeze
generals with the second part of his C6. This is just something nice to
know about his C6.
Now, one of the reasons why I love using Xiahou Dun is his C5.
Very many people label this move as completely useless, likely because
it's very easy to miss if you're just using it while attacking in a straight
line. But all you have to do is learn the correct distance required between him
and the officer to make it successful. Once you do, it can very easily be used
in a way for it to be unblockable. This give him another good method to
deal with officers, regardless of blocking. This makes it a better
offensive charge attack against officers, but with a long recovery time,
it has the limitation of requiring a filled musou. This is the only reason
why his C6 is better. But with a filled musou, his C5 is more useful because
of the fact that it can be consistently unblockable. Because his fourth
normal attack is horizontal, and the execution of his C5 is very fast, it
is extremely useful even in large crowds when perfected, to set up for a
free musou against officers, with an ensured 60% chance of freezing. While the
main reason to use his C5 is against blocking officers in crowds, because
this is his only unblockable charge attack, if you want to do it when
officers aren't blocking, you have to purposely swirve off slightly to create
the correct distance to land his C5 properly. Another reason to why many
people would never really spend the time to explore his C5, and thus consider
it useless, is that in Hard Mode, or any easier modes, all his other charge
attacks will get the job done, unblockable attacks aren't as useful as they
are in Chaos Mode.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________
8.08 - Pang De
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"The enemy cringes in fear before Pang De"
Historically Pang De's image matches perfectly with Dian Wei's, with his two
halberds. For some reason, they gave Dian Wei a hand axe. They should have
given him a really long spear or something, as long spears where popular
among the Qiang Tribe...but whatever. Pang De's normal attacks probably has
the best range in the game. Pang De is also one of the two
characters with an innate charge bracer. This means that whenever he is
executing a charge attack, he will not flinch to any normal attacks, but will
flinch only to charge attacks and musou attacks. Note that damage will however,
still be taken.
While there are many clear setbacks for Pang De, the reason why he is
in this tier, is because of his musou. Not only that his true musou
can almost kill generals from full health, he has ways to guarantee
success, and set up for his true musou, despite his slow walking speed
(because of his slow walking speed he can't simply walk up to an officer
and sneak behind him/her and do a musou).
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 36
Light Weight
Luck 15
Horse 17
Defense 15
Attack 16
Life 18
It may be a question for some people, for giving Pang De a good medium weight
weapon. This would make his musou mindblowing. With a perfect medium weight
third weapon with five attributes acquired from Xtreme Legends, his musou
would cause "one-hit KO's" to regular generals easily. So ya...he should
benefit much more from a medium weight 4th weapon instead because of not much
downgrade in attacking speed, but 1.25 times stronger attack. But the flinching
time is a lot shorter in Dynasty Warriors 5, so the attacking speed may be
too slow to be safe, even with his long reach. But Medium Weight should be
better. It's better in Xtreme Legends for sure anyway. Horse is nice for
horse combat, but irrelevant for this tier list. But for ideal defense
he should be fighting on a horse anyway. But for horse combat, a light weapon
is the worst, so even evaluating his 4th weapon for horse combat, is
very inferior to Ma Chao's 4th, and Ma Chao's 4th is already, far from ideal.
So to conclude, Pang De's 4th weapon isn't very good at all. The only useful
stat on his weapon is attack. I have recommended the Dragon Amulet for
a better offense, since his musou filling ability is so good. But, there is
a pretty strict crowd size for this, and with Charge and Fill on his 4th
weapon, this crowd size range for filling his musou would be much larger, and
thus make him a better defensive character.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Way of Musou
Dragon Amulet/Ginseng
Light Orb
The Way of Musou is useful for the fire, and the safer ending. The Dragon
Amulet will allow him to deal a bit more damage to officers. He's somewhat
more compatible with this item because his normal attacks are very good for
easy musou filling. With the Ginseng though, in smaller, more scattered crowds,
his musou will fill much faster, and thus give him a better defense. The
choice is up to you. With the Dragon Amulet, it's still going to take Pang De
with his 4th weapon, two musous to take out regular officers. So the benefit
isn't much.
Give Pang De the light orb. This choice is mainly a defensive one. Even though
his musou filling ability is relatively good, his flaws are after his C4, and
C6, his most useful charge attacks, and both these charge attacks have
long recovery, should his C4, or C6, not fill his musou, it's more defensive
to have these charge attacks hit blocking officers. And that's basically
the need to equip this orb. Ice orb will make his true musou weaker, and
there's no real reason to freeze officers anyway. Fire seems to be the second
most useful, but only useful against high defense characters, such as Ma Chao
at Bai Di, or the enemy commander, because Pang De with his light weapon and
slow attacking speed, isn't very good in one on one situations, where his
musou can't be filled. This is where characters like Zhao Yun will ultimately
be better.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Pang De has excellent reach and range. The range in his normal attacks is the
best in the game. Along with the reach, his crowd clearing ability and
musou filling ability is very good. However, he isn't as good defensively
when attacking, as you would expect. Massive crowds become impossible to fight
in with Pang De, without getting hit, because of his slow attacking speed,
even with his light fourth weapon. But this isn't much of a big deal, as this
is only something to worry about in really massive crowds. Besides, his musou
can be used, and musou rages can be saved for situations like these.
His C4 is very good, but the recovery time is very slow. As one of his
two scattering charge attacks, (the other being C6), Pang De has these two
to choose from, which adds more versatility to his offensive methods.
Generally, his C6 is better in many ways. His C6 is much better for musou
filling, but might be a little harder to recover from because you have to
steer it in the right direction. His C4 being planted...or less moving around,
might be better in some situations. These two scattering charge attacks should
be used for musou filling, in small crowds. When facing officers in massive
crowds, wait and enter the crowd with his first normal attack, and proceed
through with his C3. If the crowd is big enough to fill his musou, then this
a perfect method to set up for his true musou after his C3. Otherwise,
he will need to play a defensive game with his C4, and C6.
His jump charge is perfect for situations where he's surrounded, and
needs an escaping move. Since it covers lots of distance you can keep on doing
it until he's in a position to attack safely again. But, obviously, it doesn't
have perfect reliability, but the chances of getting hit is quite slim. There
are two possibilities with escaping with his jump charge. Jumping higher
and executing his jump chare at the peak of his jump is useful when enemies are
very close in. This will minimize the chances of getting hit, just like
how you would control Ma Chao's or Xiao Qiao's jump charge. But this also means
a longer landing. So when you see that it is safe to do his jump charge without
getting hit at the beginning, do it quickly, to minimize chances of getting
hit after the landing.
Officers do not block his jump charge, and since it stuns his enemies, it is
perfect to do a full true musou afterwards.
His C5 deals massive damage. This is one of the charge attacks
that is stronger because he wields two weapons. Too bad it doesn't have very
good reach or range, like Taishi Ci's. So it's useful only when generals are
pretty much isolated. For some reason it's unblockable, or generals just don't
block it. It doesn't cover much range at all, so it's not unblockable
because its range goes behind generals. It is likely because the execution time
is long enough for the AI to decide that it's safe to attack, but short enough
that it always hits them before they attack. A good example of this is
Sun Shang Xiang's C5.
An interesting note: His air attack uses both his halberd, thus it can
return a combo of 2, and cause double damage.
The disadvantages worth considering for Pang De are his slow attacking speed,
and slow walking speed. I had mentioned earlier that it is a disadvantage that
he doesn't have a completely safe charge attack to serve as a finishing move
to a combo, when fighting generals in crowds that are too small to fill his
musou completely. His slow walking speed, is also a minor disadvantage. His
jump charge is very useful for escaping, when in dangerous situations, but
this is not full proof, because you can very easily run into trouble
instead of away from trouble. Also, there is always a risk in being juggled by
the enemy if you rely on an aerial attack to escape, especially Pang De's
because it's relatively slow. His slow attacking speed is one of his bigger
disadvantages. Because of this, larger crowds are hard to fight in because
it's pretty easy to get hit. There is also a range of crowd sizes, that is
dangerous to fight in with Pang De because of his slow attacking speed. These
are the crowd sizes that are too large to fight safely in, but too small, that
it takes almost all his normal attacks to fill his musou. Also, because of his
slow attacking speed, generals can sometimes block in between attacks, if
they aren't angled correctly. This is another reason to give him the light orb.
Although I have presented many disadvantages, they are all quite minor.
He is extremely effective against generals when there are large crowds present.
Pang De should still be considered a high tier character.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_________________
8.09 - Zhang Liao
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"Surrender or die"
Zhang Liao might have been placed higher if his musou were
consistent against generals. His musou strikes can often be blocked by
generals because of an out of sync effect. If his musou were consistent
against generals, his ability to fight generals in large crowds would be
a bit better. But the flinching time is corrected in Xtreme Legends, and
his normal musou strikes do connect without failure, and this gives him a
noticeable advantage over Xiahou Dun, or any other character with a juggling
musou.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 36
Medium Weight
Fill 15
Luck 15
Horse 18
Attack 17
Life 17
Not too bad of a 4th weapon for Zhang Liao. Fill and Attack are the useful
ones. Charge would have been nice, but not really much of a need.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Way of Musou
Ginseng
Ice Orb
One disadvantage is that Zhang Liao's true musou lifts enemies off their feet,
thus it deals half damage. Even though true musous set fire to your enemies,
It's weaker than his regular musou. But I never thought I'd recommend
a juggling musou over a grounded one, when given the choice...
But if you think about it, regular or true musou, both will take two musous
to kill a regular officer, and with his true musou, he runs no risk of the
dangers, his regular musou causes. Go with the Way of Musou. You have the
Ice Orb anyway to hope for some double damage...or should I say the regular
musou damage that he deserves.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
The most important reason to give Zhang Liao the ice orb is to
eliminate what I like to call, the "out of sync" effect. The strikes in Zhang
Liao's musou may sometimes occur earlier than expected, or be out of sync with
the animation. Since some strikes may occur sooner, this will create enough
time for generals to block in between strikes. Another example of this is Taishi
Ci's musou. But outside the realm of musous, some normal attacks may
also be out of sync, like Wei Yan's second and third normal attacks.
The Ice Orb will attempt to make his juggling true musou ground once again.
His C6 is probably the best way to ice, however, if it fails, the officer
will be hurled away. This isn't a big deal obviously; it just means that
his freezing ability is poor. Others that have a very fast unblockable
charge attack like Zhang Fei or Ling Tong have a very high easy time with, and
a high chance of freezing. His C3 is a not bad; just don't do it in large
crowds.
There is one small set back for Zhang Liao when fighting in large crowds. His
third normal attack is very useless, for two important reasons: The reach is
much shorter than his first two normal attacks, so if you were to attack a
general with his first slash at the very tip of its reach, his third normal
attack will likely miss, and the general will be able to attack him. Secondly,
because it's a jabbing strike, it has minimal range, so during this attack is
the perfect time for enemies to hit you. To summarize, it has terrible reach
and range. After getting use to his attack string and his attacking speed, it
actually seems quite safe in considerably large crowds, to use the
"Facing Your Back to the Enemy technique - in section 6.19", except this time
it isn't to ensure successful landing of a charge attack, but to minimize
chances of getting hit. Since each strike, he takes a step forward, it's a
good strategy to turn around during his third normal attack and thus take a
step backward. Since his second normal attack has good range and obviously
good reach, taking this crucial step backwards will buy you enough "safety"
time and distance. This is a very important tip to grasp and exercise, for
Zhang Liao to hope to have a defense good enough to place him in this tier.
His third normal attack is like a missing piece to a perfect puzzle. His other
normal attacks are superb, and all of a sudden in the middle of his
normal attack string, is small poking attack. Lu Meng suffers from this too
obviously, and it is even more valuable to learn this technique, because Lu
Meng has no useful charge attacks to depend on. It is because of this
technique that Lu Meng gets to be placed as high as he is.
His C6 is pretty useful, and it's quite a good finisher after his fifth
normal attack. However, the execution time can be a bit faster. Be sure to
keep a lot of distance, from officers in order to execute his C6 safely.
If you are too close to the officer, it's very easy to get hit during
the execution time.
His jump charge is really useful to keep enemies distanced from you.
The best use for this is to scatter an approaching officer in a large
crowd if the officer isn't in the lead. This strategy makes use of the fact
that officers will get up first, before all the peons do. This will cause
the officer to lead the crowd, for some possible 1-on-1 time. This is very
useful against stronger officers, because now you can attempt his C3 without
much risk of getting hit, and hope for ice. Also a good way to lure enemies
toward you, so you don't have to walk straight into melee confusion between
ally and enemy troops.
Abuse his C1 as you long as you see that the recovery is going to be safe;
it's an excellent musou filler.
His C5 is a pretty useless move to use. I'd say to completely
forget about it. The execution time is too slow to successfully hit generals.
It's still possible to hit a generals with it though, if they are blocking all
your normal attacks. Even though the reach is terrible, the range surrounds
Zhang Liao completely. So you can manuever around the general during the first
four normal attacks, and successfully land his fourth charge. But of course,
this is quite useless, as it's only useful for practically one on one
situations, and other method of offense are better than his C5.
Zhang Liao is very well-rounded. He has very good crowd clearing ability,
and decent ability with fighting generals in large crowds. The biggest
disadvantage is the flaws in his regular musou. However, it seems to do
very little to affect his offense, as both his regular and true musous will
take two, to kill a regular officer. This difference is much bigger in
Xtreme Legends, where with the True Way of Musou item, his short grounded
regular musou is enough to take out a regular officer in just one musou.
Good thing, they fixed up the syncing of his musou strikes, and the
flinching time, to allow for the last strike to never be blocked.
Ideally, Zhang Liao's offense should be his normal attacks, always with
enemies in front of him. This will allow him to always waste his third normal
attack, for a very safe method of fighting. But because of his poor
third normal attack, he can't just walk into the middle of a crowd and attack
like Wei Yan can. This just means that he's less flexible. Against officers in
crowds, if they aren't blocking and his musou was filled after his fifth
normal attack, then musou would obviously come next. If an officer is blocking
and Zhang Liao has a full musou, then use his C6 UP CLOSE, to ensure that the
officer will block it. After his C6 is blocked, there should be a perfect
opening to execute his true musou. But if his musou isn't filled, (this is
where a very quick decision needs to be made) you'll have to back off, and
give the proper distance to allow his C6 to hit officers regardless of blocking.
But in the case that you can foresee his musou filling after his C6, and the
officer is blocking, then the obvious choice to get close to the officer
to force him to block Zhang Liao's C6.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________
8.10 - Guan Yu
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"Roar, Blue Dragon"
God of War?
His long execution time for his crowd clearing attacks makes him
somewhat more of a challenging character to use; but as you will see, his
charge attacks are among his most useless attacks. His normal attacks have
very fast recovery time, which allows him to stop in between attacks and
resume attacking again.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 38
Light Weight
Charge 16
Horse 16
Defense 17
Attack 18
Life 18
While it is very agreeable that Guan Yu is very well-suited with a light
fourth weapon, Guan Yu's only real flaw is the weakness in his musou, and this
is caused by his light weight 4th weapon. It's quite close to an ideal weapon
for him. What it's missing is Fill, and its quite a noticeable difference,
and very crucial for his ideal setup in his analysis in Section 10.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Way of Musou
Ginseng
Ice Orb/Light Orb
The Ginseng will help a lot with musou filling, since his attacking strength
is on the weak side. The Way of Musou is essential for both offensive and
defensive purposes.
The Ice Orb is probably the most useful for the double musou damage, but the
length of his musou is a very important thing to consider. If you choose to
give Guan Yu the Ice Orb, you will have to always use his full musou. The
length of his full musou when executed directly after freezing a general, is
just enough to finish right after the general thaws. This is very perfect
timing. Doing a shorter musou however, will result in the ending of his true
musou occuring before the ice thawing. This will set up a dangerous situation,
where the general will attack you directly after Guan Yu's musou, because
the recovery is very long. Thus, there is the very small disadvantage with
giving him the Ice Orb, that you have to use his full musou; this takes away
a little bit of flexibility, and makes it harder to fill his musou safely.
The Light Orb isn't a bad choice, since Guan Yu's most effective and fastest
offense is to keep officers and a large group of peons in the air with his
short true musou. The Ice Orb may ruin this strategy.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Guan Yu's normal attacks have very fast recovery time, and knowing this is the
key to using him properly. The fast recovery time along with his long reach
make it possible to continuously use only normal attacks in crowds. Guan Yu is
not the only character who can do this, but is one of the best characters in
terms of continuously using only normal attacks without getting hit. The trick
is to purposely stop after the normal attacks with wide range. These are his
second and fourth normal attacks. Also, stopping purposely after his first and
second evolution attacks is good too. Because his charge attacks have long
execution and recovery times, his normal attacks are more useful for dealing
with crowds. Because Guan Yu is able to abuse his normal attacks continuously,
it is very easy to fill his musou. Thus, the most effective method for
fighting large crowds, is just to use his normal attacks, and a short true
musou whenever his musou fills up. The real upside of his true musou is that
your enemies get hurled upward, making it possible to follow up with juggling.
Because of this, his musou can simply be refilled almost immediately, with
only his first two normal attacks, or perhaps up to his fourth normal attack.
This works extremely well in massive crowds. Because of this officers in
massive crowds can be dealt with very easily. By continuously doing his normal
attacks and short true musous, generals can be killed when they are in the air
the entire time. This method is very effective, and takes little effort, but
takes some time before the general is killed. So when done correctly, you'll
be hearing "Roar Blue Dragon" every 6 seconds or so. One important thing to
keep in mind is that it is very possible for the officer to drop to the
ground after his first two musou strikes, which is also just before the ending.
This happens because you are hitting the officer with his second strike too
early. In order for the ending of his true musou to hit for full consistency,
you have to hit the officer with his second musou strike as late as possible,
and this can be done simply by turning left or counterclockwise, during his
short true musou. This strategy is awesome because you can deal with generals
no matter how large of a crowd they are with, and the fact is that the larger
the crowd the better. The best way to use this method of offense is to make sure
you always have a clearing after his true musou. Unlike Zhao Yun's true musou,
Guan Yu's true musou ending isn't as ideal as Zhao Yun's. This is exactly
why it is not recommended to start attacking an officer in a crowd with his
normal attacks before using his musou because after his short true musou, it's
likely that he'll be surrounded. In this case, he has two options: he must
either risk juggling the officer (facing only the officer in the process),
musou filling at the same, while being surrounded, or he can attack in a
counterclockwise direction for a much more defensive musou filling effort,
but let the officer drop to the ground. It can be seen that this method is
either risky, or very slow. To make this strategy work properly, you have
enter crowds with his true musou. Enter preferrably with the ending of his
true musou, but this is not a big deal, as it is possible to hit blocking
officers with the ending of his true musou if properly distanced. Control
his musou strikes correctly to ensure that the officer does not drop to the
ground. During the first two musou strikes, move toward the officer, but during
the ending, move away. This method ensures that little or no peons will be
behind him, and allows for very easy musou refilling. When done properly,
Guan Yu has one of the fastest offenses in the game. Although this is in
theory, because a lot time is gone from his true musou warcry. But this method
should take 5 short true musous or something. Even though 2 seconds for a
warcry seems little, 6 officers will have wasted a whole minute. I
initially did time tests to help with ordering the characters in the same tier,
and realized that Guan Yu's completion time was a lot longer. Making the
necessary adjustments, he's definitely one of the fastest, and this should be
easy to see, if you imagine no "Roar Blue Dragon" cries, and imagine only
two musou slashes, 360 whirlwind, two to four normal attacks, repeated
about five times. Just as devastating as any other character, in this tier.
His C3 and C6 are both very useful, but the one disadvantage with them is that
recovery time is very slow. This means that Guan Yu's normal attacks and his
true musou are the best way to go.
Execution time is very fast for his C3, so it is useful to attempt activating
the Ice Orb, but it's only safe in smaller crowds. Since it is quite weak,
just end it off quickly. The ending of his C3 is what we need in a
crowd. Many of you have probably noticed that it doesn't quite cover enough
range on the right side, as its a steep diagonal slash from left to right.
But this slash actually covers roughly 200 degrees. If you turn slightly to
the right prior to this slash, you can shift it so that it will hit more
enemies that are in front of him. It just takes some practise to understand
how to steer it properly.
Guan Yu's C4 is useful only if you enter a crowd with it. It is
almost impossible to do it if you enter a crowd with his first normal attack.
Because, his third normal attack is a jab so it has very unreliable range,
plus the execution time of the actual charge attack is very slow. So it is
very likely that someone is going to hit him everytime you attempt to do this
in large crowds. The charge attack itself is a great move to scatter crowds.
But looking at the big picture, Guan Yu doesn't really need to scatter crowds.
You want massive crowds to be clustered together, but preferrably only in
front of him. The best situation to use his C4 in, is when massive crowds are
present, and the approaching officer is not in the front. This means that the
it's not likely, or not guaranteed, that the officer won't block, if you enter
with normal attacks or his true musou. If you use his C4 to scatter the
approaching crowd, you can make use of the fact that the officer will get up
before the peons will, which may allow you get an initial attack on the officer.
His C6 is much like his C4. His fifth normal attack is exactly vertical, once
again giving him useless range. On top of that, the execution time for the
charge is again very slow. His C6 is more valuable than his C3 though, because
it will hit successfully as a complete combo if done correctly. His C4 however,
will likely be blocked. Secondly, his C6 is able to hit blocking generals, if
his are distanced correctly from the general. This is because of what I like
to call, diverging charge attacks.
There's nothing really great about his C1 or jump charge.
His C1 covers a lot of distance and has pretty good attack range,
but the recovery is slow, and if you get hit, he'll be hit off his feet.
His jump charge is often hard to pull off without getting hit after. It can
be used to juggle, but obviously it is less practical than his normal attacks.
Since his jump charge has long reach, it can be used to hit generals from a
distance without their blocking it.
Generally, when using Guan Yu, like the strategy above, omit his charge
attacks. Try to unlearn the idea of always having to end an attack with a
charge attack. It is almost an unstoppable strategy if you keep repeating only
doing two normal attacks or four normal attacks. Since these two normal attacks
have really long reach, and wide range, you can keep stopping at these attacks,
and starting again. Since the range is so great for the second and fourth
normal attacks, you may also consider countering right after. Because the good
range will hit many in front of him, they will all flinch, making it quite easy
to read their attacks, and therefore easy to execute a counterattack. When I
was more of a beginner in Dynasty Warriors, I always used charge attacks no
matter what. I thought of Guan Yu to be a really crappy character. So this
idea of using only normal attacks is especially useful for Guan Yu.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
8.11 - Xu Huang
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"Witness my strength"
One of the easiest characters to use.
Xu Huang is one of the characters who are destroyed because of a light fourth
weapon. The default attacking speed with a medium weight weapon isn't much
slower than a light. The most useful attacks for Xu Huang are his C3
and his musou. Giving him a medium weight third weapon with maxed
attack stats, greatly enhance his attacking strength and usefulness.
But light or medium, he'll still take about two musous to kill an officer
when attacking the right way. This note is just on his compatibility with
heavier weight weapons, because he doesn't suffer from slow attacking speed.
Gaining only a stronger attack from heavier weapons, he'll only get better.
A Medium 4th weapon would prove to be a lot more useful against playable
officers. Additionally, because Heavy weapon wielders don't flinch during
their normal attacks in Xtreme Legends, Xu Huang is very compatible with a
heavy weapon. If you refer to his section in section 10, his Heavy weight
weapon can take out officers in one true musou, with very good defense at the
same time.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 38
Light Weight
Fill 15
Luck 15
Speed 15
Attack 17
Life 18
As touched on above, Xu Huang benefits most in Dynasty Warriors 5 with
a medium weight weapon. While it doesn't really affect his offense a whole
lot, it's still a better choice, as his defense is not any worse with a
medium weapon. One thing about his medium weight attacking speed though is
that his C6 becomes almost impossible to execute when surrounded by crowds.
This of course changes in Xtreme Legends, but this wouldn't be much of a big
deal in Xtreme Legends anyway, but his C6 with a light weapon is still a risky
charge attack in surrounding crowds.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Way of Musou
Ginseng
Ice Orb
High fill make Xu Huang's C3 very abusable. Similar to Wei Yan, Xu Huang is
able to just walk straight up to an officer in large crowds and just use his
C3, and then finish with a true musou. He should be considered as good as
Wei Yan, but his light weapon makes him a lot weaker. Xu Huang's offense
is one of the slowest in this tier, but still, he takes just a little more than
two C3-True Musou combos.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
As mentioned above, Xu Huang is very capable of walking right up to an officer
in a crowd, as long as it's big enough to fill his short musou with his C3.
Approach officers from the left side, and walk until you JUST pass the
officer. Going from the left side has two important points: His first normal
attack begins from the right side, and the proper way to use his C3 is to
have the officer positioned correctly on Xu Huang's right side. With officers
positioned on Xu Huang's left side or anywhere behind him, they may be able to
block in between his C3 strikes. But other than these strict positioning
techniques, Xu Huang is very easy to use. One limitation is that Xu Huang needs
large crowds to be able to do this, and pretty large crowds to be able to
do it twice against an officer, for a fast offense. Since officers will get
up before peons will, after scattering everything with his true musou, you
can almost always squeeze in a quick jump charge for a free hit on the officer,
since it would be pointless to do his C3 right away. This will also all
enough time for peons to get up again. You may have to lead peons around a
little bit before doing his C3 again. Many people nail Zhao Yun, Xiahou Dun,
and Wei Yan for their officer-oriented musous, but they actually benefit from
them, at least against officers in large crowds. The problem with Xu Huang's
musou is that it's too good at crowd clearing. This is why he is ultimately
inferior to Wei Yan, in almost every way.
All of Xu Huang's charge attacks have very long recovery. His C4 then
becomes a pretty useful charge attack against smaller crowds, since it's a
very useful scattering attack. Use this charge attack carefully, when
his C3 can't be used because crowds are too small. The long recovery times
of his charge attacks may force him to waste his musou sometimes. This further
shows how his musou is too good at crowd clearing, because if it's wasted,
and crowds are very small, fighting officers may take a very long time.
But in the end, his C4 is very useful because it makes him a lot more versatile.
Without it, he'll have a bit of trouble against small crowds, when his C3
can't be relied on. If crowds are small enough, Xu Huang's second normal
attack has a safe enough recovery to purposely stop after it, and start
attacking again. You may also want to do a C1 after this depending on the
situation, if you need to buy some time for approaching crowds to arrive.
Whatever happens, there are many possibilities for Xu Huang.
His jump charge is very weak with his light 4th weapon, but it is useful
because it is unblockable and quite safe to use. Since this attack is
diagonal, it is possible for enemies to hit him from behind or if he's too
high in the air.
When situations are safe enough, you can hit officers with his C5
if they are blocking. Since his C5 has good reach it is possible to
hit generals from behind even if they are blocking. But the range of Xu Huang's
C5 is only where the blade portion of his axe hits, so the attack range is
very limited like Xiahou Dun's. So since his axe is so long, it will miss if
you are too close to a general when attacking. Generally, there's still
not much use for this charge attack because unlike Xiahou Dun's, it has
slow execution, so even with a fill musou, he can't really make much use of it
in crowds.
Use his C2 if it's possible. Although his C3 is obviously superior, because
of a chance at freezing officers. But with his light weapon, and without the
True Way of Musou item from the Xtreme Legends expansion, he doesn't do much
more damage with ice. If he has a full musou, or if his C2 will fill his musou
it's a good charge attack to use because like Zuo Ci's it has long reach and
wide range. This will often set up for his true musou against officers,
regardless of blocking.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_____________
8.12 - Zuo Ci
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"Here we go"
A character with incredible charge attacks. It's surprising to many people
how low Zuo Ci is ranked in this tier list. There have been very very many
discussion board topics about the best character in the game, and it often
circles around the comparison between Lu Bu and Zuo Ci, and often...it's
Zuo Ci that wins the prize. I didn't understand why first of all to compare
Lu Bu with Zuo Ci, and not Ma Chao, and well, I still don't understand, and
don't see any reason for Zuo Ci to be better than Lu Bu in any way EVEN on
Hard Mode. Don't even start on Chaos Mode, because Zuo Ci's defense with his
4th weapon is no where near Lu Bu's. But lets look at Hard Mode: well...any
Hard Mode tier list really should have offense as it's main topic, while in
a Chaos tier list it would be defense. And well, the tier list FAQ stresses,
that characters are evaluated at a mastered level...as is mine. Thus it should
only make sense that all characters be compatible with the Green Scroll. But
that doesn't seem to be the case in that FAQ....anyway... once offense is
maximize, juggling musous or not, so many characters are able to fill their
musou easily, and kill officers in just one musou, even without the True Way
of Musou item in the Xtreme Legends expansion. So there's really no reason
to place many ppl below Zuo Ci at all. But the idea of Zuo Ci being equal to
Lu Bu in Hard Mode, might be just an evaluation between their movesets only
and without the aid of items. But even so, this doesn't change an "offensive"
ranking much at all, because the ideal offensive items are all very similar,
like the Tiger Amulet, Green Scroll, etc...so there's somewhat of a constant
change with all the characters. Why not then consider Zhao Yun to be equalled
to Zuo Ci? They both have a juggling musou. Zhao Yun is better than Zuo Ci
at running straight into the enemy crowds and behind the officer and start
attacking, because of his reach and attack range of normal attacks. After his
musou fills, his musou will take out officers just as effectively as Zuo Ci,
because both have juggling musous, with frequent strikes. Zuo Ci lacks the
ability to walk straight into enemy crowds like Zhao Yun would do, but he
can still do it. Zuo Ci's ideal way for musou filling would be to fill with
his C4, and then musou against officers. And really, there's nothing that Zuo
Ci has that should place him any higher than Zhao Yun, as well as many other
characters. The method of distanced attacks with Zuo Ci's C4, (keep in mind
that he has no unblockable charge attacks too) would probably take more time
than Zhao Yun's method of offense. Sure Zuo Ci seems quite versatile, with
a nice set of charge attacks, but the "versatility" is separated into
many charge attacks. This is the reasons why I think he doesn't deserve to be
ranked with Lu Bu. But in a Hard Mode tier they probably would be because
offensive speed turns out to be probably the same, but in Chaos Mode...no way.
Lu Bu has ultimate versatility in just one single charge attack, his C3. His
C3 has ideal defense, ideal reach, ideal range of attack, and most versatile of
all, it is consistently unblockable if it is mastered. This means that crowd
sizes don't matter, multiple officers even don't matter. Officers are
vulnerable to his C3, and all it takes is a short C3, break the officer's
guard (if the officer is blocking) and do a musou. The fact that Zuo Ci doesn't
have a consistent unblockable attack, should already place him below
Lu Bu. And this argument works for both situations, with ideal items and
ideal weapons, or just an evaluation of movesets. And wow...Ma Chao on
horse....there's just no comparison, at least in defense.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 40
Medium Weight
Charge 15
Fill 15
Bow 15
Defense 15
Musou 20
A terrible weapon. Hahahahaa, even though Zuo Ci's very capable with this
weapon, it's still a terrible weapon. Sure, it's power 40, but power has
very little influence on attack. His 4th weapon doesn't have attack on
it. With an attack bonus, his true musou might come close to killing an
officer in just one musou, which pretty much elinimates any trouble when
facing an officer. There's not even an offense, if one musou will
take out an officer....as is, with Zhuge Liang. Too bad it is not that case.
I haven't tested him with a medium weapon with attack, but the point is,
it would make him better. Musou, charge, and fill are all useful. Bow is very
useless. Defense is somewhat useless....afterall, he's placed among the
good defense tiers. If he were to have a light weapon with attack on it, the
resulting damage output is still more than a medium weapon with no attack
bonus. Refer to section 14 for more information. And with a light weapon
his C4 executes much faster, therefore much safer. In Xtreme Legends, this is
enough to kill an officer in one true musou: A single true musou with a light
weapon! Anyway, for offense, and well...a slight downgrade in defense, I would
recommend a medium 4th weapon with attack on it, for Zuo Ci, IF it is capable
of killing a regular officer in just one true musou. And even though I haven't
tested it, it should be very close.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Way of Musou
Dragon Amulet/Ginseng/Herbal Remedy
Ice Orb
Pretty self explanitory. Zuo Ci's strategy is dominantly distanced attacks.
But still, the Wind Scroll helps for close combat situations which do arise.
he doesn't really need the last two slots, so might as well upgrade his
offense by giving him a true musou at all times. The long ending prolongs the
fire depletion a bit more, which is nice. And since his attack rating is
somewhat low (despite that his musou is by default a very strong and frequent
one) his musou benefit's more from the fire depletion than say...Zhang Liao's
or Xiahou Dun's. Anyway you get the point. He doesn't really need the Ginseng
for faster musou filling....nor does he need the Herbal Remedy for a stronger
C4. But there's nothing better to give him. The Dragon Amulet can be a very
useful 5th item, because unlike with most characers, it makes a difference
against regular officers, but allowing Zuo Ci to kill them in just one true
musou. He's also quite compatible with a maxed out musou bar because of his
good musou filling ability with his C4. The Dragon Amulet is my preference.
Although his C4 can be unreliable at times, it's quite rare for his C4 to
miss a nearby peon, and quite rare to hit by another peon after escaping this
danger with his jump charge.
The Ice Orb is the most useful, for double musou damage. Although, like a lot
of the higher tier characters, it's not gonna help too much. Still, it's the
best choice, as it will prove to be a bit more useful against higher defense
officers.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Similar to Zhang Fei, Zuo Ci is incredibly destructive if you distance yourself
from the enemy; He is better than Zhang Fei if surrounded however because his
normal attacks have a bit better range, and much faster recovery. While Zuo
Ci isn't the close combat type, as his normal attacks aren't quite that
defensive (at least not until the end), it is his fast recovery, particularly
after his fifth normal attack, that allows him to escape afterwards with his
jump charge.
When generals are iced, just quickly walk up to them, and unleash his musou.
The damage dealt is massive, and will likely kill the general or put the
general near death.
Until large groups come a little closer, make use of his C4, and C4. A huge
set-back with his C4 is that the execution time is really long. Well...long
enough to not be consistently abusable. If crowds are too close, make sure
that his third normal attack hits everyone, or at least all the majors that
are in sight, or else he's very likely to get hit. Even though his C4 is
insanely powerful, the slow execution time still makes Zuo Ci not too useful
when crowds get too close. Also a minor downfall is that it's not guaranteed
that it will hit everyone, so any enemies he misses, that are too close, are
likely to attack him. Since the execution time for his C4 is long enough for
generals to escape his attack, you may want to consider facing turning around
and facing his back to the officer upon executing the charge attack. Since
during the execution time Zuo Ci takes a step forward, you would be taking one
step away from the general. The general will always attempt to attack you, but
his charge attack usually unleashes in the nick of time. This method should
work all the time. Additionally, if his C4 is done when very close to a
general, the general will be hit with more than one of his beams. This will
deal enormous damage, BUT, if ice doesn't execute on the FIRST beam, the
officer will be hit away, instead of staying put, disoriented in one spot.
Anyway, that's how his C4 works. His offensive strategy should be to fill his
musou with his C4, as distanced combat. And then, he would use his true musou
against officers, and kill them in hopefully one true musou. He's quite
similar to Zhuge Liang, but that Zhuge Liang should be placed at the top of
this tier for the fastest consistency in offense.
The second method of offense for Zuo Ci should be his normal attacks. With his
fast walking speed, even without speed on his 4th weapon, he should be able to
use his C4 as a method of distanced combat for musou filling, most of the
time. But close combat situations do arise, as I've mentioned before, and his
offensive should change to, doing his five normal attacks, and then purposely
stopping after his fifth normal attack to do his jump charge to escape to a
safe place. In close combat, this is by far the safest offensive method.
His C1 is quite useful in situations when you are surrounded by
large crowds. The best time to use his charge attack is when you see
that the approaching crowd is too close to do his C4 safely, yet far enough that
this charge attack can be used. Because the timed explosion of the ice
projectile is just before the execution of his C4, it makes his C4 much easier
to execute in large crowds. Pressing triangle once with deploy a fire orb,
and pressing it more than once will deploy an ice orb. The fire may be
useful against enemy commanders, or high defense officers. It's quite useful
in one on one battles where he can use his C2 after the fire C1, and
continue with juggling. Try to use his ice orb C2 against approaching officers
in crowds. Not only will it practically ensure safe execution of his C4,
it will also increase his chances of freezing the approaching officer.
You have two chances to freeze, and you only want one. With the tested
probability of 60% freezing with the ice orb, the probability of both the
freezing chances of his C1 and C4 failing is 0.40^2, which
equals 0.16. This means that Zuo Ci will have an 84% chance in freezing an
officer this way, which pretty much means an 84% chances to kill an officer in
one musou.
His C2 might also be useful because unlike many other C2's, Zuo Ci's has very
good reach and wide range. Use this if you can foresee that he will have a
filled musou afterwards. This charge attack is not bad to use before executing
his true musou. If he does have his musou filled, or if he'll fill his musou
with his C2, then it might be preferrably to use this against officers.
If you catch officers when they're not blocking then great. If officers block
it you still have a free shot to use Zuo Ci's true musou after.
This is quite nice as you don't have to go through his C4 which is a less
safe, and with a full musou after his C2, hitting the officer after is
guaranteed. Very versatile.
Zuo Ci's C5 is always a good charge attack at a distance. Although his
C4 might be a better one in terms of musou filling ability, and attack range.
But his C5 is still useful for easier aiming. Some people may have mastered
the angle of Zuo Ci's C4 lasers....but ya...it's not quite as easy as
aiming his C5 in the preferred direction.
His C6 also has very long execution time; this goes for both of the
charge attacks that he does. It's quite useful to take out small groups, but
quite impractical against large ones. Besides, his C4 should be more
than enough for small groups anyway. If you can foresee that you have enough
time to execute this move then do so. It is useful to keep in mind that the
first part of it is innate fire elemental; and only the second part activates
the actual orb you have equipped. So for example, if you have the ice orb
equipped (which you probably should) his fifth charge can be though of as
fire and ice elemental. But compared to his other methods of offense like his
C4, and his five normal attacks, his C6 is very inferior.
His C3 is useful again only when crowds are a bit distance from
him. Also, the range of it is just as you see it, which is only in front. One
thing is, if you are too close to someone, the range doesn't cover enough to
hit them, which means that enemies can be safely sandwiched between you and the
charge attack. His C3 is useful against generals though, in hopes
of activating the ice orb, since all of his other charge attacks have execution
times that are long enough for generals to block or interrupt.
I think his counterattack is cool, because it does 5 hits, but it's not very
reliable. It's one that might miss.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________
8.13 - Sima Yi
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"The mind shall vanquish the sword"
Like Zhuge Liang, Sima Yi's musou is very powerful, and is capable of killing
officers in just one musou.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 32
Medium Weight
Charge 15
Defense 16
Musou 19
Fill 15
Attack 15
The stats on Sima Yi's 4th weapon are very good. All of the offensive
stats are good for Sima Yi's moveset. This weapon would be ideal, if speed
were in the place of defense. All Sima Yi needs is more speed to be able
to outrun crowds, in order to abuse his jump charge for absolute defense.
This would force Sima Yi to equip the Speed Scroll to be placed this
high in the tier list for high defense, and thus waste an item slot.
But it's not that much of a waste. It's more of a waste in Xtreme Legends,
when his last slot should be the True Way of Musou, but even this is not a
big deal, since his true musou is strong enough to kill officers anyway.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Speed Scroll
Way of Musou
Ginseng/Herbal Remedy
Ice Orb
The Way of Musou is incredibly important because of its unblockable ending.
The attack itself has the quality of being totally unblockable, just like
Xu Huang's air charge etc... Sometimes his musou lasers will cause generals
to move from side to side, it they are too close to him. This will sometimes
give them enough time to block if you allow enough time for them to. Without
his true musou, this can often be fatal, since generals will attack you
right after his musou. Also, his true musou allows him to take on multiple
officers. As mentioned above, Sima Yi needs the Speed Scroll to be able to
run fast enough to abuse his jump charge with safety. This gives him an
extreme defense. With Sima Yi's distanced combat methods of musou filling,
for ideal defense, his normal attacks should always be wasted. This is why
the Wind Scroll isn't recommended, because even if it were, the difference
would change almost nothing. His reach with the Wind Scroll equipped will
still make his normal attacks very risky in crowds.
The Ice Orb will help a slightly, for his musou to deal more damage because
officers will stay in one spot.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Although Sima Yi now has an extreme defense with the Speed Scroll equipped,
his musou filling is somewhat slow, he has to run around and use his jump
charge until it is safe enough for him to use his other attacks.
His true musou will allow him to easily kill generals in large
crowds. If you do his true musou against a general as close as possible, it is
very easy to for a one musou KO. If he is close enough, the general will be
sandwiched between Sima Yi and his Fan. This is very perfect because the
general can't get out, and because he is right where the lasers shoot, all
beams will hit and deal full damage. Each musou attack shoots three beams.
However, it's not at all consistent, because the general will sway from side
to side, so it's hard to always hit with three beams. In the end, it is still
very simple to kill generals in one true musou. Sima Yi is ranked higher than
Zhuge Liang in section 14, as the second fastest general killer. Zhuge Liang's
musou also shoots three beams per attack; it is because of Sima Yi's stronger
attack power, that he is potentially a faster general killer. There is a small
chance that generals will not be trapped in between him and the fan, even if
you are very close to the general. This also adds to the inconsistency. If
generals are not trapped, they will slide backwards slowly as you continue to
hit them with his musou. Because his musou beams alternate from left to right,
generals are usually able to block in between attacks. However, it is
possible to always hit generals with his musou, if you learn how to use his
musou properly. His musou does alternate left and right with three beams
per attack, but there is one beam which is always in the center. Just do his
musou without any peons in sight and you will see this. The pattern should look
like this: \\|
|//
\\|
|// and so on.
Try to use the L1 button to toggle so that the general is in the center of the
screen. After this, it should be simple to steer. When doing his musou
on generals at a distance, try to hit the general by steering his musou
correctly with this strategy; depending on how far away the general is, it
may be wise to purposely stop hitting the general to allow him/her to walk
up closer to you, so that his final hit will successful. This is because if
the general is distanced in a way that, the ending of his musou will miss, but
the general is close enough to be able to walk up and attack him right after
his musou.
The result of Sima Yi's true musou is almost always a defeated officer, and a
large KO count.
Other than his musou, the rest of his efforts should be devoted to refilling
his musou. The best method for musou filling is with his C4. It shouldn't take
too long to fill his musou with this awesome charge attack. Try to steer the
second part to a safe place, or maybe even ignore it altogether if he's
facing a small crowd, where the second part may be useless. If the first
part freezes officers, and he has a filled musou, the second part is perfect
to quickly catch up to the frozen officer for a quick one musou kill.
Use combinations of his jump attack, and jump charge to create opportunities
for his C4. This is the best way to use Sima Yi. After scattering crowds with
his jump charge, it's often safe enough to use his C1 before using his C4.
The timing is perfect for making the execution of his C4 safe. The explosion
of his C1 is also perfectly timed with his C3, although this is useful only
in specific situations.
One small note on his counterattack: if the general is too close to him, the
counterattack may miss entirely. This isn't a big deal since his counterattack
will still have that discharge to get him into a safe place, it just won't
hit the general.
His other moves should generally be avoided, or used leisurely. His C3 and C6
are useful for fighting at a distance. His C6 only takes practise with the
steering. His C5 doesn't have enough reach to be useful.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
8.14 - Ling Tong
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"Is that all you got?"
Ling Tong is ridiculously fast at attacking. I wonder if nunchaku even
existed back then.....sigh. As cheap and dull as Koei has created him, I'd
agree it to be so. Because of ice, his musou, and his C4, generals
can be taken out with ease.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 36
Medium Weight
Charge 16
Speed 19
Life 15
Luck 16
Attack 17
Not too bad of a weapon, although a musou bonus would help a lot, then
his fifth item slot should be the Way of Musou. This would help his
offense a lot. This helps even more in Xtreme Legends if you configure him
this way, as his musou will kill officers in just one musou.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Herbal Remedy
Dragon Amulet/Way of Musou
Ice Orb
Ling Tong's quite compatible with the Dragon Amulet because of his easily
musou filling with his C4. The Way of Musou is also not a bad idea.
Equip the ice orb on Ling Tong. Ice gives you the ultimate edge with slaying
generals. With a fast and unblockable C4, and a juggling musou, Ice is
obviously the best choice.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Characters like Lu Bu and Zhao Yun are all safer than Ling Tong
defensively, while attacking. It is very possible to not get hit during his
normal attacks, and his offense of just his C4. But there is a crowd size
limit. In massive crowds, it's very hard to just apply his reckless C4
offense. The only thing to watch out for with his C4, is to never enter a
crowd with the execution of his C4. In most situations, Ling Tong's C4
is very safe. A second defensive (and offense actually) disadvantage is his
inability to handle two officers at once. Most other characters are able to
because of a good musou and/or longer reach. Because Ling Tong's musou lacks
reach and range, and is planted. It is a huge disadvantage if done against
a blocking officer. This is why it's very hard for him to fight against two
officers, because for a proper defense, he will have to rely only on his C4.
His C4 then also presents a lot of problems. The two officers have to be
distanced perfectly in order for his C4 to work. One officer situations are
simple because you only have to calculate one distance; making his C4
consistently unblockable, single officers are simple to take care of.
However, against multiple officers, if the distance isn't right, he'll often
hit one of the officers, and the other one will have blocked it. Other
characters in this situation would use a musou to get out of the danger. This
is obviously not a choice for Ling Tong. But after all this talking, this
disadvantage can be elinimated if you use his jump charge. It's almost as if
Koei gave him this distanced scattering jump charge, with his fast walking
speed, to counter Ling Tong's limits. Whatever happens though, Ling Tong's
defense is still very good; it's just the his offense reduces to a very slow
method when facing multiple officers and massive crowds. Ling Tong has all the
offensive abilities of the characters in his tier. He's the best at freezing
officers in his tier, and would deserve to be the best and fastest offensive
character in most situations. But because of his limitations to further
pressure, like massive crowds and multiple officers, he is placed last in this
tier. Although this is a theoretical placement, his flaws can be seen in more
difficult stages. The Battle of Mt Qi in Xtreme Legends would make these flaws
of his, more apparent. However, these flaws should be considered minor,
because musou rages can eliminate them. Being in this tier, he's either the
fastest offensive character or the slowest, but when he's the slowest, when
he has to adopt the method of using his jump charge to continuously scatter
massive crowds, he is very slow. The other characters in his tier have more
consistency, and most benefit from larger crowds.
With his defensive flaws discussed, we can now turn to his offensive
strategy with his C4...which requires not much strategy or planning at all.
Perfect his C4 to hit blocking officers, and everything should be clear.
When officers are near high health, attempt his C4 until officers are
frozen. Then rely on his musou to finish them off. Ling Tong's just a
faster version of Zhang Fei, and just like Zhang Fei, with a quick and
unblockable charge attack his freezing ability is very impressive.
All jump charges like Ling Tong's, which shoots blades (or whatever), are
useful, but his version has a steeper slope, which means you'd have to jump
high to to shoot far.
Ling Tong's C5 is another possible charge attack in Chaos. It's only better
than his C4 because of the longer reach, but it's obviously only practical
against approaching crowds, and when enemies are only in front of him.
All other moves should probably be avoided. His C1 has the worst
reach and range, but unbelievably quick. Because it's quick and covers a lot
of distance, it can be a useful escaping move, in case you ever make a mistake
with his musou. His C6 requires far too long execution and
recovery times to be practical. Even though, it is innate fire elemental, his
C4 is infinitely more useful.
In Musou Rage, try to use his C4 only. Continuously doing this is enough
to kill officers in the 15 seconds of musou rage granted. Since his true musou
is officer-oriented and has a recovery that wastes a lot of musou rage time.
Continuously abusing his C4 will net you a higher KO count.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
8.15 - Meng Huo
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"I'll smash you all to pieces"
Generally a very easy character to use. Meng Huo's musou is one of the best
crowd clearing musous in the game.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 36
Light Weight
Charge 15
Fill 15
Horse 15
Attack 18
Life 19
Not that great of a weapon. Similar to Xu Huang, Meng Huo has heavy weapon
compatibility, however, only his jump charge can be used with a heavy
weapon. Just like Xu Huang, Meng Huo's light 4th weapon allows him to do his
C6 more safely, but it is still not a fast executing charge attack.
It is in Xtreme Legends, when Meng Huo's C3 can be used with a heavy
weight weapon, because of the non-flinching property. But other than the
weight of this weapon, the stats on it are excellent. A short musou with
fill and charge, makes his jump charge a pretty good musou filling move,
even though it's a weak attack. However, like other light weapon characters,
again such as Xu Huang, a crowd clearing musou with a light weapon can mean
a very slow offense after a first musou is used. Surrounding peons are going
to die in one musou with a light weapon. This means that you're losing 1.25^2
which is 1.56, well roughly 1.5 damage against an officer. Light or Heavy,
Meng Huo's going to find himself with the same crowd conditions after almost
every musou. With a heavy, a lot more damage will be dealt to officers.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Way or Musou
Herbal Remedy/Ginseng
Ice Orb / Light Orb
As mentioned above, crowds will often be destroyed after Meng Huo's musou, so
equipping the Way of Musou for some fire depletion is very important, to
deal more damage against officers. His true musou has five extra hits,
which is very useful. Make his last item the Herbal Remedy. Meng Huo's
musou filling strategy should often be with his jump charge. When abusing
a charge attack, the fill caused by the extra damage from the Herbal Remedy
approximately equals the fill increase of equipping the Ginseng. This means
that equipping the Ginseng would mean that Meng Huo's jump charge would deal
less damage, at roughly the same musou filling rate. However, this increase
in damage from the Herbal Remedy would only help slightly when dealing
damage to officers, while musou filling. The Ginseng might be a good idea
afterall, because it will allow Meng Huo to use his first two normal attacks,
and his C3, in a larger range of crowd sizes. This helps a lot if you choose
to equip Meng Huo with the Light Orb. Anyhow, both these choices have
very small benefits.
The Ice Orb is good for double musou damage, but with a light weapon, and
relatively less frequent musou strikes, he's not gaining much more damage.
Meng Huo's freezing ability is also not very impressive. Xu Huang's true musou
is also a weak one with relatively less frequent strikes, but he benefits
a bit more from the Ice Orb because his C3 is a very good method for
freezing officers. Meng Huo on the other hand must rely on either his C3
or C6. With Meng Huo's slow walking speed, he can never hope to walk casually
up to an officer and start attack in the middle of a large peon crowd, like
Xu Huang can. This is why freezing with Meng Huo is quite hard. His C6 can
be unblockable, but the execution time of it is not safe enough in large
crowd sizes. The Light Orb may be a better choice for some people. Although
it is also not that useful, it will allow Meng Huo to use his C3, instead of
abusing his jump charge, for easier and faster filling. If you can foresee
a filled musou after his C3, then the Light Orb will make it much easier
to set officers up for his true musou. However, his jump charge is often
good enough to hit blocking officers already...
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Likely the best situation to fight generals in are the largest crowds possible.
For example, near Liu Bei in the Yellow Turban Rebellion. His musou is possible
of racking up KO's in the 60 range. It is thus, easiest and most
preferable to fight officers in massive crowds. Massive crowds will allow
Meng Huo to fill his musou easily with his C3, and with the Light Orb equipped,
officers are helpless.
Meng Huo's jump charge is a very useful move for safe attacking. The
strength is not very strong, but the reach and range covered is very reliable.
This is also a great move to stun generals, to set up for his true musou.
The landing of his jump charge however, isn't completely safe, but there is
way to make it safe. The idea is to never use his jump charge when he is
surrounded, or when enemies are very close to him. Always enter crowds
with his jump charge. And his C1 will make this possible. It's also easy to get
hit just before the second part of his jump charge. This, can also be
avoided, if after the first stomp, you turn him around and direct his second
stomp in the opposite direction. The most frequent example of getting
hit before his second stomp is against officers on horse. If you just miss
the officer on horse, with his first stomp, and the timing is right, it's
very easy to get hit before Meng Huo's can proceed to the second stomp.
Turning around, eliminates this defensive flaw. If you always enter crowds
with his jump charge, and then turn around to face the opposite direction for
his second stomp, Meng Huo's jump charge is a very ideal move for musou
filling.
His C1 is also a great move to stun generals from a distance. Although
officers do block it, and this depends on when you execute his C1.
Once you've learn how much distance his C1 covers, you can stun
generals at will, by hitting officers at either the very end of his C1, or
at the very beginning. But there are more risks at the beginning. This is
extremely useful because his musou has an initial lag to it, much like Zhen
Ji's. But the most useful aspects of his C1 is that it makes Meng Huo's slow
walking speed almost negligible, and that as mentioned above, it will allow
Meng Huo to always enter crowds with his jump charge, and thus gives him a
very safe method of musou filling.
Being the biggest character in the game (occupying the most space), it's
harder to counterattack with Meng Huo, simply because it's harder to see your
enemies. But similar to the characters Zhao Yun, Zhou Tai, and Lu Bu, there is
a brief (very brief) state of invincibility granted during his C1
attack. Since Meng Huo's C1 can easily get you out of dangerous
situations, counterattacking may be ignored altogether. However, in Meng Huo's
case, the invincibility in Meng Huo's C1 isn't perfect, because it's still
easy to get hit when he JUST starts to run.
His C4 is one of the most useless charge attacks in the
game. Even though the strength and the range is not bad, it has the longest
recovery time in the game. The enemy scattering ability isn't very good either.
His C5 is useful against generals for freezing purposes. It's one
of those charge attacks that are fast enough that the generals can hit you
during the recovery time, but slow enough that they will make an attempt to
hit you. It's also easy to see it too. It's a very safe attack to pull off, but
there's probably a slight chance that a general will hit you.
His C6 covers excellent reach and range. It's too bad that the
execution time is quite long. It seems to work 50% of the time against generals
if you have your back facing them during the execution time. It's just too
slow, and generals can easily hit him.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
8.16 - Pang Tong
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"Hey! I defeated an officer"
Pang Tong has a unique C1; it's the only C1 orb that contributes to musou
filling.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 32
Medium Weight
Fill 18
Luck 15
Bow 16
Defense 17
Life 15
He's quite a tank with life, defense, and bow on his 4th weapon. However, they
are all pretty much wasted because Pang Tong's capable of a pretty perfect
defense. The high fill is the only useful stat on this weapon. With no
attack on this weapon, his offense is a bit slow.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Ginseng
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
The Ginseng is very nice, for very high fill. With his short musou bar,
musou filling is quite fast with Pang Tong. The Way of Musou is useful for
the extra fire damage. It's also quite nice to sneak in a few attacks after
his true musou.
The Ice Orb is good for double musou damage, however, the increase isn't that
much and he'll have to go through his C3 to freeze officers, which has some
defensive risks.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Pang Tong can be played for defensively, with his C1 and his first normal
attack. None of his charge attacks, other than his C1, can be used safely in
Chaos. The most effective way to use him is to musou fill with his C1 and
his first normal attack, and then use his true musou for offense. With no
attack on his 4th weapon, it'll often take three musous to defeat officers.
It is his jump charge that allows Pang Tong to have an extreme defense. Abuse
his C1 for fast musou filling. Be sure to time his C1 so that he can escape
with his jump charge. But what's better is to try to time it so that he'll have
enough time to sneak in his first normal attack just after his C1. This'll
make his musou filling a bit faster. And this is simply all that is needed
to master Pang Tong in Chaos. None of his other normal attacks and charge
attacks can be used safely in crowds.
His first normal attack can be done over and over in small crowds, because
of it's fast recovery.
His C2 may be useful in massive crowds, if you know it'll fill his musou.
It might be possible to use it after his true musou too, if crowds are
big enough. Then you can do back to back true musous.
His C3 isn't perfectly safe, but getting hit is still kind of rare. If he
has a filled musou, then it's not a bad idea to attempt freezing officers
with it. It's easy to counterattack after his C3, because peons will tend to
want to do a jump attack on him, and they will always attack just before they
land.
Although is jump charge has very little attack range, it may be used for
hitting generals off their horses.
A interesting fact; his fourth normal attack always does double damage. This is
like characters who have two weapons, like the two Qiaos, but different in
that Pang Tong's is 100% efficient.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
8.17 - Zhang He
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"Even more beautiful"
It's weird how Koei created Zhang He. It's almost like they treat him as a
joke character.
historically, he is nothing like he is in the game. Anyway, he's pretty fun to
use. Unlike many characters, his strength lies in his charge attacks.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 36
Medium Weight
Fill 15
Speed 19
Attack 16
Musou 18
Charge 15
I evaluate Zhang He's fourth weapon to be the best fourth weapon in the game.
His fourth weapon fits my general ideal perfectly, with all bonus attributes
devoted only to attack. All of these attributes work well with Zhang He's
moveset. A very good fourth weapon.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Dragon Amulet
Ginseng / Demon Band
Fire Orb / Ice Orb
Many people should know by now that Zhang He can't survive well in Chaos
with anything other than his jump charge. The safe and fast musou filling
ability of his jump charge makes him very compatible with the Dragon
Amulet. Equip the Ginseng simply to speed up the process, or you can give him
the Demon Band, because with this Fire Orb setup, he is the only character
in the game that deals less musou damage in musou rage. This Fire Orb setup
for regular combat is important for Zhang He to at least have a chance at
killing officers in one long musou. But since his true musou is juggling,
damage is reduce by half, and in musou rage, his attack would be doubled.
The adjustments would thus cancel out. This means that in musou rage
combat, his musou is going to deal the same amount of damage.
Although, even with his musou control mastered, it may be hard to
use it with full consistency sometimes, for example in massive crowds, or
in narrow places such as a corridor, or even near a wall. Some people
may prefer the Ice Orb, for a chance at dealing heavier damage in
musou rages. Because Zhang He needs to use his C3 perfectly before his regular
musou, and then control his musou perfectly, to be able to kill officers in
just one long musou, it is very hard to come by. Many times with the Fire Orb,
he'll still be forced to take more than one musou to kill officers.
So the Ice Orb is not a bad choice.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
His jump charge should be used in crowds of all sizes. It will
eliminate groups of 5 in a blink. And when done in large crowds, his musou
gauge will pratically fill up. This is why it's generally quite safe to
continuously do this move because you can do his musou right when he lands
to save himself if it is ever dangerous. Although, the need of wasting his
musou is minimal because his jump charge can be mastered so that he won't get
hit. Zhang He's jump charge is by far is the best and safest attack. For
perfect defense, all you have to do is make sure he lands safely. This
naturally forces Zhang He to lead large, or scattered crowds around, until
there's a clear opening for his jump charge. Once crowds are dense, and not
scattered about, he can run straight through a crowd with his fast walking
speed, and do his jump charge at the very end of the crowd, placing peons only
behind him, and nothing in front of him. Try to do his jump charge as low as
possible. And that's all he needs to have a good defense for his high placement.
His jump charge is very good at musou filling, and very abusable. When using
his jump charge against officers, be sure to walk just past them before you
execute his jump charge. The point is to aim his jump charge to execute just
behind officers. The leap forward that he takes makes this very easy to
execute. His jump charge should be a consistently unblockable charge attack
against officers.
Minor disadvantages, or things to watch out for, is fighting on incline
slopes. Even if the ground is slightly inclined, his air charge may be
cancelled because he's are too close to the ground. Of course, you can work
around this by jumping higher before you execute the charge, but it's obviously
much easier just to fight on flat ground.
With Zhang He, it's normally quite hard to deal with generals in large
crowds. The most practical way should be using a full regular musou when
generals aren't blocking. It's hard at first, but it should be easy after some
practise to continuously attack a general with his musou by moving back and
forth, without the general dropping to the ground. Try to pair his long musou
up with the Fire Orb; set fire to a general by his C3. Use his
C3 to do this, because it stuns enemies and will keep them on
the ground. This however, is not easy to do, since Zhang He moves forward a lot
after his C3. The trick is to activate your musou JUST as you set
fire to the general. The timing for this is pretty strict, but of course,
practise is all that is needed.
You may have noticed that Zhang He doesn't really have any moves that are good
for knocking generals off their horses in large crowds. His C1
will often do the job, but he will get hit if you time it incorrectly. His
musou has a height such that it will only sometimes hit generals when they are
on horse.
Not much can be said about all his other moves. Because of the lack of
reach and range, they are inferior to his jump charge.
But just to skim through the rest of his attacks....
C2: very little reach and range, not very useful
C3: the reach and range is still not good enough to be safe. The
recovery time is also long, so it's quite easy to get hit after.
However, this move is a good move to freeze or set fire to generals.
C4: useful only at a distance. This is a great move to get generals
off their horses.
C5: has fast execution time. A good move to attempt to freeze
generals when it is safe enough to, but ultimately inferior to his C3.
C6: even though the range of the attack is wide, the execution time
recovery time are long, so generals can block it, and it's
easy to get hit after. Note that although both of the two parts are
charge attacks, only the first part activates the orb.
Simple conclusion. Use his jump charge in all situations, and
try to kill generals in crowds with a long full regular musou with fire. His
jump charge and musou are extremely effective against generals and large crowds.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_____________
8.18 - Lu Xun
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"This should do it"
Lu Xun would be one of the worst characters in this game if it wasn't for
his jump charge. His jump charge gives him a very defensive method of
offense, and musou filling. And just because of this, he deserves
a high tier just for extreme defense. His offensive is however a bit slow
because of this.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 34
Medium Weight
Fill 15
Luck 18
Speed 20
Attack 15
Musou 19
This is a very good 4th weapon for Lu Xun. It would be an ideal one if luck
were replaced with charge.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Way of Musou
Ginseng
Herbal Remedy/Wind Scroll
Ice Orb
The reason for recommending the Way of Musou for Lu Xun is the same as
Zhang Liao's. Lu Xun's grounded musou can be blocked easily, in between musou
strikes. With or without his true musou, he'll still take roughly two musous
to kill regular officers. The Ginseng and Herbal Remedy are both useful for
musou filling. Since it's the most ideal to use his C1 for distanced combat,
the Wind Scroll is very useless. It's useful only rare occasions of close
combat.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
As commented above, the strikes in his regular musou have irregular timing,
and sometimes this will allow generals to block during his musou. If you
position him slightly to the side of the general, it is possible to
complete his full musou without the general blocking it, but it's very hard
to make it consistent, because of the strict positioning. It's probably not
worth the effort to learn because he'll still take two musous to kill officers,
with his regular musou.
Like Zhou Yu, Lu Xun's ideal musou filling method is abusing his jump charge.
Jump charge, and then true musou, is pretty much enough to cover his analysis.
One charge attack that is really worth praising is his C3. Notice that his C3
seems to do more damage than anything else, or similarly, it seems to be
overpowered. His C3 because of the fact that he wields two weapons, does more
damage. Not only does it deal heavy damage, his defensive potential while
executing it is very good. Sure, he is airbourne, which will allow the enemy
to juggle him, but the chances of getting hit during the entire sequence of
his C3 is quite rare. Unlike other airbourne charge attacks, enemies don't
do a jump attack on him. It is generally safe to use even in large crowds,
and this is because for some reason, peons don't attack him after the recovery.
It's almost as if he goes into a stealth mode when he's in the air or something.
Peons and officers act as if he's invisible during his C3. This makes it very
abusable in small crowds. And in massive crowds, it will be strong enough to
fill his musou completely. His C3 is riskier in larger crowds, but because he
has such fast walking speed, it can still be done with surprisingly good
results. The ending of his C3 is usually too long to hit officers with it. But
it's useful to hit blocking officers with it, because of the distance he
covers.
Both Lu Xun's C4 and C6 are good scattering charge attacks, but in the end,
they are inferior to his jump charge.
His C5 has somewhat poor range. The real advantages of his C5 are its fast
execution and recovery. His C5 is a very good way to freeze officers.
Like Da Qiao or Xiao Qiao, because Lu Xun has two weapons, some of his normal
attacks will deal double damage. However, this is very different from his
C3, as every part of his C3 deals double damage. The ones that deal double
damage are his fourth and fifth normal attacks, as well as the exact same
attacks in his evolution attacks. These however, must be positioned strictly
in the center to be able to deal double damage. This will also return a combo
of two, so seeing the combo counter rise by +2 will indicate a double
damage hit.
This is a very minor note, but keep in mind that Lu Xun's jump attack has very
short reach, but very horzontal range. The horizontal range can sometimes be
used advantageously against officers. Rotating slightly will maximize the
reach of his jump attack.
If you want to use his C1, it's quite useful to make his C4 a lot safer to
execute.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________
8.19 - Zhou Yu
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"You're mine"
A very versatile character. Of all the characters with the same type of air
charge, Zhou Yu's is the best, because of the range, the launch angle
(practically horizontal), and the extra stomp on the ground at the end.
Zhou Yu has one of the faster attacking speeds, and has very good range in
his attacks. His musou attacking speed is also fast and deals good damage, but
the range is mainly suitable for generals.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 34
Medium Weight
Charge 17
Defense 15
Musou 18
Bow 16
Attack 16
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Way of Musou
Herbal Remedy
Ice Orb
The Herbal Remedy is probably a better choice than the Ginseng. Just like
other characters who abuse charge attacks for musou filling, the extra
charge damage results in roughly the same increase in fill, that is caused
by equipping the Ginseng.
Equip the Ice Orb on Zhou Yu. When enemies are frozen, his musou does twice
the damage. He also has many ways of freezing officers.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Fighting at a distance with his jump charge is the best musou filling strategy,
if it even is a strategy at all. His walking speed is fast enough for him
to abuse his jump charge to no end. If crowds are vast and dense, his running
attack will be enough to fill his long musou, and disorientate officers in the
process. This pretty much concludes Zhou Yu's safe musou filling ability.
Similar to Guan Yu, it is safe (if the you are not in a very large group) to
purposely stop attacking after his third normal attack, and resume attacking
again. This is because of the safety that the reach and range of his third
normal attacks grant, and of course, the quick recovery time from his third
normal attack. Stopping purposely after his third normal attack is also a
great opportunity to antipate a counterattack.
Use his C1 just as you would with all the other characters, by
deploying the orbs as you enter a crowd. One strong combo is to deploy
his C1 fire orb, but allow some time for it to settle. Then do jump charge.
If you time this correctly, to have the fire orb explode directly before
the jump charge, all the privates will likely be dead, leaving the stronger
opponents nearly dead but scattered. This is pretty effect when dealing with
generals in large crowds, as you can set the general on fire and scatter the
general to prolong the fire. Time the fire orb to explode just after his air
charge if you don't want to scatter your enemies. This would deal heavy damage
without scattering the enemy.
Zhou Yu has one of the best counterattacks in the game. The speed is very
quick, but not too quick (some people may think Ma Chao's counterattack is too
quick), the reach is decent, the range is very good, and the recovery time is
fast. It is just like his C6, but with less launching power.
His C3 is not so great, even though it looks like a very protective
move. The speed of it isn't as fast as his normal attacks, so it's no surprise
if you get hit during any part of it, especially during the recovery time.
But, his C3 is a good way to attempt freezing a general in a
moderately sized crowd, since it disorientates, he's got 60% percent chance
in freezing with nothing to lose.
Zhou Yu's C2 is fast both in execution and recovery. With its decent reach
and range, it can be used if his musou if filled, against officers, like
other characters can, such as Zuo Ci or Lu Meng. Even if officers block it,
it should be possible to do his true musou after because officers will tend to
attack.
Zhou Yu's C4 is good because of the triple attack. Only the
first, and third strikes activate orbs. It is obviously impractical in most
cases to do the full three attacks. Also, it won't finish, if you are too far
away from the enemies you are hitting. You actually have to be extremely close
to successfully complete the entire three-hit charge sequence. The thing about
his C4 is learning the good parts of it, and learning when to stop.
Since the first slash is elemental and the execution and recovery times are
fast, with its good range, it is a perfect move to freeze generals while
fighting in large crowds. The recovery time is very fast, so stopping
purposely after this first slash is a not a bad idea, however it's not as
safe as stopping after his third normal attack. If the general is
successfully iced, unleash his musou for massive damage (the effect of his
musou against frozen officers is similar to Xiahou Dun's because of fast
musou attacking speed). If the ice isn't successful, it's easy to anticipate a
counterattack, for those of you who are good at it. His C4 attack is probably
the best reason to equip the Ice Orb.
His C5 is slow enough for generals to block, and the reach is
not so great; should probably stay away from using this move.
His C6 is a good charge attack. Since Zhou Yu's normal attacks
have good reach and range, his C6 is often a very elegant finish
to a perfect combo. However generals are able to block this move because of its
execution time. It is possible to successfully hit generals with it if you
position it very carefully. Notice that the attack starts from left to right,
so try to adjust it so that his left side is as close as
possible to the general, it should work. This is only a tip to upgrade the
chances of success, so it should still be considered a move that the enemy is
always capable of blocking. But even if it were fast enough to execute against
officers, his C6 is not as useful as his other attacks. For ideal defense,
there's no reason to resort to his normal attacks, when you can just use his
jump charge. And with his musou filled, the results of his C6 are useless.
If it doesn't freeze officers, then they will be scattered. With his C4, he's
guaranteed a chance to freeze without scattering officers, if ice fails.
Although his musou is useful only for general killing, it does a very good job.
It's range is very similar to Xiahou Dun's, but it's much better because of
more frequent hits. Because of this, he is able to kill generals very quickly,
with his musou when they are iced. Zhou Yu is among the top ten fastest general
killers.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
8.20 - Xiao Qiao
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"Come back later and try again"
Many people hate the fact that the two Qiaos have heavy 4th weapons. I
actually think they are best with heavy weapons. Considering the attributes on
their fourth weapons, and their stats by nature, they are generally more
devoted to defense (and speed). So the upgrade in strength by means of giving
them heavy weapons eliminates this issue of weakness. Secondly, their regular
attacking speed (with medium weapons) is very fast, so when equipped with heavy
weapons, they don't actually attack too slowly, so the downgrading isn't too
extreme. The two Qiao's with their heavy 4th weapons still have very safe
attacking speed. The two Qiaos with heavy final weapons attack faster than
Pang De with his light 4th weapon. Since all of the normal attacks of the
two Qiaos have decent range, trading slower attacking speed for stronger
attacking power is very very practical, thus makes the two Qiaos better.
Additionally, and probably most beneficial, musou attacking speed will always
stay the same; going from a lighter weight weapon to a heavier weight weapon
will always benefit in a 1.2 times stronger musou attack at the same musou
attacking speed. Not so much does this aspect affect Xiao Qiao's musou,
but because of her heavy 4th weapon, Da Qiao's musou deals relatively heavy
damage. I hope this is a good enough argument to persuade heavy weapon haters.
Xiao Qiao's obvious ideal method of musou filling is with her jump charge.
And because her jump charge and her musou are her dominant offensive
attacks, fast attacking speed is often wasted. Xiao Qiao is without a doubt
most compatible with a heavy weapon.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 32
Heavy Weight
Charge 17
Fill 15
Speed 19
Defense 15
Musou 15
Wow, if she had attack instead of defense, this would truly be her ideal
weapon. Charge and fill both contribute to her jump charge. And with her musou
mastered, her long true musou with a stronger attack, is very devastating.
With a weapon like this, in Xtreme Legends, she is yet another one-musou-KO
character, with fast and reliable musou filling. But before Xtreme Legends,
she will have to stick with killing officers in two or more musous.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Way of Musou
Herbal Remedy
Light Orb
The Herbal Remedy will help a lot for her jump charge. It is tested that
the extra damage from the Herbal Remedy contributes roughly the same fill
increase, as the Ginseng does. Since Xiao Qiao's most ideal offense is
her jump charge, the Herbal Remedy is very useful. The Way of Musou is very
useful for a stronger musou.
Equip the Light Orb on Xiao Qiao. After musou filling with her jump charge,
Her C3 is make perfect use of the Light Orb to set up nicely for her
true musou.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Xiao Qiao's musou is probably the hardest musou to control in the game. Not
only is its vertical range very minimal, it also can't make sharp turns. This
means that if you miss a general or the general drops to the ground, it's
practically over. Even once you've mastered steering her musou, it is not very
useful against generals anyway because of its weakness. It would seem that
her musou is strong since it has one of the most frequent hits, but her musou
is weak by default. And the high frequency in her musou strikes can't really be
made useful because her musou doesn't work well with the Ice Orb. To use her
musou to maximum potential, use it on officers up against a wall. With a wall
guiding you it is effortless to control it. But in an experts point of view,
this isn't much of an advantage, because since all her musou hits will be
successful, the officer will elevate too high, and with the musou length
she has with her 4th weapon, her full true musou won't work this way. To
master her musou, you must purposely miss with some strikes to maintain a
low height. With this learned, Xiao Qiao in Xtreme Legends with a 3rd weapon
of heavy weight, with attack and musou bonuses on it, is easily capable of
killing officers in just one musou.
Something else that is annoying about her musou is that it starts late, very
much like Zhen Ji's. Because of this, generals will almost always block it.
This is why the Light Orb is recommended. You can set up for her musou
by using her C3 to stun generals. Another good time to do her
musou is directly after her second last evolution attack, the one that hits
enemies into the air. However, if you time it very strictly, it is possible
to connect her musou after her other normal attacks. Her C3 is very perfect
for setting up for her true musou. Her left hand fan hits in front of her with
long reach, and it's the long reach that makes it so perfect. All Xiao Qiao
needs for a perfect setup to her true musou is for officers to be in front of
her, with some distance. Her right hand fan gives her good reach and range
behind her. A very nice and unique charge attack.
The inclusion of her C4 into her C3 + true musou offense allows for Xiao
Qiao to have a very beautiful and systematic offense. Because her musou is
useless if officers aren't directly in front of her at the beginning, it is
often very frustrating when fighting officers in massive crowds. Even a small
crowd of ten peons can ruin the setup for her true musou, if the peons are
all packed, behind the officer, and moving forward. And it's not surprising,
After musou filling with her jump charge, pursuing officers will almost always
have crowds running behind them, and what happens is, peons running behing
officers will cause the them to slide. And one small nudge is enough to ruin
her true musou. Not only does running peons ruin this. Even if she successfully
gets her musou to connect after her C3 in a massive crowd, it's very hard
to juggle an officer with her musou in very dense crowds, because the officer
will likely not stay in a straight or natural line. The surrounding peons will
easily cause the officer to be slightly displaced. Xiao Qiao's C4 is a very
elegant solution to this. It's scattering ability is very good, and because
it can be manually 360 degrees, it's a very safe charge attack. What makes
this such an elegant solution is its awesome scattering ability, and the
fact that officers get up sooner than peons to. After her C4, it's very
easy to follow up quickly with her C3 and then her true musou. Or, if you want,
it's not hard to do all of her normal attacks and stop before the last
evolution attack, before using her musou, to deal the most damage.
There is no better way to use Xiao Qiao. Combining her C4, C3, and true musou
Xiao Qiao has very extreme defense, and not too slow of an offense.
Her C5 like many other heavy weapon wielders, is able to hit
blocking generals. It is because of the same argument, that it has an execution
time which is long enough for the general to stop blocking and attempt to
attack, but short enough that the charge will almost always hit. However,
Xiao Qiao's C5 is just like Diao Chan's, in that it may not always
hit. Other characters like Sun Shang Xiang have a much more reliable C5. This
is more of an interesting fact than a useful move. Her C5 isn't as good before
her true musou because the height it too high.
Xiao Qiao's C6 has very long execution and recovery, and terrible range. The
ending of it is scattering, but also has poor reach and range. There's not
much use for this charge attack.
Instead of using her jump charge and her true musou in musou rages, try to
make use of only her C4. Her jump charge is still a slow way of
attacking, and the ending of her true musou eats away a lot of precious
musou rage time. Her C4 should be safe enough to use continuously
if crowds aren't too big. Take advantage of the scattering, to attack
officers when they get up. Because of the fact that heavy weapon wielders
benefit most from musou rages, generals will die in a matter of seconds with
her normal attacks. Imagine what she can do if her 4th weapon had attack on it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
8.21 - Yue Ying
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"This will be over soon"
It's wierd that Zhuge Liang's wife emerges to be among the better characters.
Yue Ying is very similar to Guan Yu. Guan Yu attacks faster, and he is a little
stronger (even with a light weapon). Also they both have similar true musous.
Both of their musou attacks have high height, so some enemies, may drop to the
ground. And the ending is the same, except that Yue Ying cannot follow up
with juggling after, and this makes the ultimate difference
between her and Guan Yu. And finally, they are both very capable of
continuously attacking with their normal attacks because of fast recovery
time. Guan Yu is better than her in every way, except for walking speed.
Sorry to say this, Yue Ying fans, but I kinda like how Yue Ying's musou
is relatively weak by default, EVEN with frequent musou strikes. Zhang Fei's
light 4th weapon, even with less musou strikes, at the same musou bar
length, does way more damage in a musou, compared to Yue Ying's musou, with
her 4th weapon. Even if Yue Ying was to have a 3rd weapon with attack
and musou on it, Zhang Fei's musou still beats her's in musou damage.
At the 20th rank, Yue Ying is the first character in the tier list who is
relatively poor in fighting generals in crowds. It's hard to deal with them
if they are blocking, but even when not blocking, it takes some time to
kill generals in large crowds.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 36
Medium Weight
Charge 15
Horse 15
Bow 16
Defense 17
Life 16
Wow, what a terrible weapon. All those defensive stats, wont do too much,
if she's not strong enough in small but still intimidating crowds, to fill
her musou. Give her a medium 3rd weapon with attack and fill on it, and her
musou will fill very fast even with a long musou, and no Ginseng.
Her only useful charge attack seems to be her C6, and since it's not even
great at all against officers, the charge bonus on her 4th weapon doesn't
help her very much at all. It would seem then, that her 4th weapon is very
poor.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Way of Musou
Ginseng
Ice Orb
As mentioned above, Yue Ying's musou is very weak by default. Without the
aid of fire, her offense is very slow against officers. Her difficulties
with hitting blocking officers doesn't help too. The Ginseng will be helpful
when musou filling with her awesome normal attacks.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Strategies in crowd clearing should be just like Guan Yu. Make good use of her
normal attacks. Typically, stopping at her second normal attack, or her fifth
normal attack is quite safe. Also, counterattacking is quite easy to
anticipate. Her fourth normal attack recovers the fastest, but it would often
seem more practical to just carry on to her fifth normal attack for an extra
attack, and then stop after that. This is very nice as it makes her
musou filling ability very good, even without the Ginseng. The Ginseng will
allow her to fill faster though. Generally, fill her musou with her normal
attacks, and against officers, in most crowd sizes, just go straight for
her C6. It's by far the most useful charge attack. If it hits officers
succesfully (which isn't easy to do) you can use her true musou before
her C6 ends.
If officers are blocking her C6, just catch the officer off guard after her
C6. This is quite a good defensive offense for Yue Ying. The only weakness
is, like the all the other characters in her tier, that her offense is a
slow one.
Even though her normal attacks are very protective, it's still not an ideal
attack string. Because of her third normal attack, it's easy to get hit.
Because her second normal attack ends on her left side, it's quite natural
to waste her third normal attack near her left side. She still has a very
good defense if you waste her third normal attack properly. In Xtreme Legends,
her third normal attack is much less of a flaw, because of the extended
flinching time. I would suppose that she was purposely made with a vertical
third normal attack, to prevent her from being a high tier character.
Because if her third normal attack were to be another horizontal slash,
then she can walk up to officers in massive crowds, and just attack
recklessly with 5 normal attacks, or most of her evolution attacks,
before using her true musou. This would make her offense by far faster.
Like Xu Huang, Yue Ying's musou is a weak one. But because of Xu Huang's
C3, he's capable of this sort of "walking straight into the middle of a crowd"
method, and this is a much better and faster offense because of the extra
damage advantage Xu Huang has with his C3 before all his true musous, and his
better chances with the Ice Orb.
Her C1 lacks good reach, and has limited attack range. Probably impractical in
all situations, since her normal attacks will do a better job. It can
however serve as a safe musou filling method. Use this for fighting leisurely.
Her C3 attack was good to get lots of combos in hard mode...but
likely quite useless in Chaos mode, unless you fighting a general one-on-one.
The damage dealt is not impressive at all. The only useful
time to use this charge attack, is in musou rage combat. Yue Ying's first
two normal attacks should be enough to make her C3 safe, as long as no
threats are behind her. With musou rage attacking speed, her C3 is very fast.
This the quickest way to attempt freezing an officer in a musou rage.
A good C4 for crowd scattering, however the recovery time is pretty
long. Also, it's almost impossible to pull off in a surrounding large crowd,
because of the lack of range in her third normal attack. It's very similar
to Guan Yu's C4, but better, because of faster execution time, and
lower attack height.
Her C5 is one of the many useless ones like Guan Ping's. The area
covered is very small. The major downfall is that it is at a small distance
away, so to land it successfully, you have to pretty much pinpoint it. It's
possible to hit a blocking general with it, but quite hard. And if
it doesn't freeze the blocking general, it'll be hard to follow up with
her true musou, because of its high height.
Sadly, the elemental effect comes in at the end of her C6. It would be a bit
more useful if it came in at the beginning, so that the Ice Orb can be made
useful. The execution time is somewhat long, so turn away from generals when
you execute it, and they will not block it.
Her jump charge is quite good against officers, for one on one combat.
It can be done continuously, which is very useful.
Altogether, Yue Ying's offensive potential is quite slow, because of her weak
attacking strength, and very weak musou strength.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
8.22 - Guan Ping
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"Here I go"
Not as good as his father, but still one of the better
characters. He's the only character in the game that can do his C4
four times in a row. However, out of the few continuous charge attacks,
his C4 is a bit inferior to Cao Cao's C6. Although it's hard to argue this.
Guan Ping's C4 is much easier to execute against officers in crowds, while
Cao Cao's only works against officers in small crowds. But if Guan Ping's
first C4 strike doesn't freeze, then it's very disappointing.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 36
Light Weight
Charge 16
Luck 15
Bow 15
Attack 17
Life 15
Probably not a very good weapon. Guan Ping definitely works well with a
medium weapon in Xtreme Legends, when the flinching time is extended.
I haven't tested his medium weight attacking speed in Dynasty Warriors 5,
but it's slightly faster than Zhang Liao's or Lu Meng's, but with less reach.
if it's defensive enough, it should be a bit better in offense. The charge
bonus is very nice. Lacking a fill bonus on his 4th weapon, although isn't
a bit deal, but having it, would make his defense much better, as it would
allow him to have a filled musou after his C4, or just after his C6.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Herbal Remedy
Way of Musou / Ginseng
Ice Orb
The Ginseng is a good choice for his C6 offensive strategy. It's very nice
that his C6 is innate fire. But there's a limitation without the Way of Musou.
Guan Ping's C6 offense is probably the best against officers in large crowds;
his C6 will work very nicely with the Ginseng, if officers are blocking, but
if they aren't it's a bit hard to hit them with his C6. On the other hand, with
the Way of Musou equipped, you are guaranteed a musou aided with fire depletion,
when using his C6. The Ginseng should be the best defensive choice, because,
with the Way of Musou, Guan Ping's true musou is often limited to only
single officers. When facing multiple officers, it's much too easy for
officers to hit him after his true musou because of its long recovery time,
and it's hard for these types of accidents to not happen. But wow,
his true musou is so handy against peon crowds, for large KO counts.
Definitely equip the Ice Orb on Guan Ping, mainly for his C4. If a
general is successfully frozen all four attacks of his C4 does
full damage, and along with the Herbal Remedy, and the charge bonus on his
fourth weapon, the damage dealt is massive. If this combo is done in musou
rage....well, I suppose you can see where this is going. Also, his musou would
deal double damage when generals are frozen.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
As mentioned above, Guan Ping's C4 is quite a valuable move when
paired with the Ice Orb. But it is quite disappointing if it doesn't freeze
and officer on the first strike, because not only is he scattering the officer,
he now has to direct the rest of his C4 strikes to a safe place. And since
the recovery time isn't very impressive, he will often be forced to waste his
musou. Thus, if you continuously use his C4 for an offense, his offense can be
quite slow.
Guan Ping works best in large crowds. If crowds are large enough to fill his
musou with his normal attacks, officers can be taken out with his C6,
which has better consistency than his C4. With the Way of Musou equipped,
if officers aren't blocking, then proceed obviously with the most normal attacks
possible, before doing a full true musou. If officers are blocking, then
his C6 is perfect to set up for his true musou. Execute his true musou right
after his C6 bombing strikes the ground, to avoid getting hit in the air.
Then turn around quickly during his true musou, in order to steer it
corrected to hit the officer on his/her way down. This should be easily possible
but the first two musou strikes or so, will be wasted....not a big deal.
If crowds stay this way, this method is a fast three musou (on average)
offense against officers. Otherwise, use his C4 or C3 in smaller crowds.
Always try to enter crowds with his C3. If he will have filled musou afterwards,
and his C3 was positioned correctly, it should guarantee a true musou, against
the approaching officer regardless of blocking. You'll have a 60% chance
of freezing the officer. It might be wise, if it's safe enough, to refrain
from using his musou, to attempt to sneak in as many C4 strikes as possible.
You can then choose either to do all his C4 strikes in hopes of successful
freezing right after the officer thaws, or to just do his true musou, just
before the officer thaws. Other than this, his C3 isn't useful, because the
rushing sequence is very dangerous in surrounding crowds. This
tip is much more useful in Xtreme Legends, with a more ideal Guan Ping, with
a medium weapon. Enter a crowd with his C3, and freeze an officer with it, and
his musou will kill that officer in just that one, short true musou.
It's too bad he's so weak in Dynasty Warriors 5.
Although I seem to praise his true musou a lot, it is mainly the ending that is
useful. The caution with using his true musou is to make sure that you do not
miss generals with the ending, or the upward slash just prior to the ending.
If you miss, and generals drop to the ground, the timing is usually very
perfect, for generals to get up and attack him. The only solution to this
problem is to counterattack.
Guan Ping's problem is that none of his charge attacks are outright abusable,
but the versatility in his charge attacks does allow for decent flexibility.
It's generally C4, against officers in small crowds, and C6 against
officers in large crowds, and then C3 whenever possible. The only danger
other than the risky ending of his true musou, is crowd situations that leave
Guan Ping with an unfilled musou after his C4. Learn that this happens, when
crowds are either small, or not dense. In any case, this can be avoided.
When crowds are very scattered, you'll have to run around for a while, to
allow for crowds to gather together for easier and safer musou filling.
When played correctly Guan Ping's defense should still be considered, high
tier defense.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________
8.23 - Lu Meng
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"It comes down to this"
Similar to Zhang Liao, Lu Meng has very good reach and range in his normal
attacks, but Zhang Liao is way better. Lu Meng's charge attacks aren't too
impressive. Probably the biggest downfall is his weak attack. In terms of
fighting style, Lu Meng is a bad version of Yue Ying, and Yue Ying is a bad
version of Guan Yu. Both Lu Meng and Yue Ying have medium weight weapons
without attack bonuses; both have third normal attack with terrible range, and
similar range with the rest of their normal attacks. Yue Ying is much better
than Lu Meng because she attacks faster. She also recovers from her normal
attacks much faster than Lu Meng, which enables her to resume attacking (very
much like Guan Yu). Lu Meng is also capable of doing this, but it is generally
much harder with him to abuse his normal attacks. Lastly, her true musou is by
far better, and more useful than Lu Meng's.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 36
Medium Weight
Charge 15
Horse 16
Bow 15
Defense 17
Life 17
Wow...same stats as Yue Ying's weapon. If anyone finds it hard to believe that
this weapon is terrible, view my Lu Meng video with attack and fill on his
weapon. In Xtreme Legends, he only needs a short musou to kill officers in
one musou, and with fill 40, his first two normal attacks will often
fill his musou. This means he has an extreme offense, and extreme defense.
There's just nothing good about his 4th weapon.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Ginseng
Dragon Amulet
Ice Orb
The Dragon Amulet is quite an interesting fifth item. His normal attacks should
be safe enough for him to have a long musou. Since his musou filling isn't
good enough with his 4th weapon, it isn't going to get much worse if you
give him a longer musou. With this length of musou, his offense is fast enough
to take out officers in two musous.
Since none of Lu Meng's charge attacks are useful in Chaos Mode, the orb
choice matters not too much. Go with the Ice Orb for a better offense in
musou rages. Since his true musou is juggling, the ice will allow for
double damage.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
As mentioned above, Lu Meng is capable of continuously attacking with
his normal attacks. This is very useful since his charge attacks aren't very
good. Although Guan Yu and Yue Ying are much better at this, Lu Meng can still
pull it off. Stopping after his second or fourth normal attack is the safest.
Stopping after his fourth normal attack is especially safe because of its
fast recovery, and very wide horizontal range. Always have enemies in front
of him, and always waste his third normal attack by directing it away from
the crowd, and then resume with his fourth normal attack against the crowd.
It's best to turn in a counterclockwise direction during this process, because
both his second and fourth normal attacks slash from right to left.
And this is all that is needed to know, to maximize Lu Meng's offense and
defense. This gives him the safest method of musou filling.
Lu Meng's C1 is very useful for entering crowds. Since his third
normal attack has minimal reach and range, it is often impossible to pull
off his C4 without getting hit. However, if you deploy the
fire projectile with his C1 directly before attacking, the fire
projectile explodes just as you execute his third normal attack. This strategy
changes his third charge from practically 10% success, to 100% success. No
exaggeration either. The timing is so perfect that the fire projectile acts
as if it were his third normal attack. Also if you are equipped with the ice
orb, you have in a sense, a double elemental attack in his C4. In
any case his C4 doesn't activate the ice, the fire will still be
present. This only a minor tip, as his normal attacks and his musou are still
his best methods for offense. But what his C1 is most useful for, is against
officers, in approaching crowds. Deploy at the right time, walk around for
short moment, and start attack right after it explodes. You can often pair this
safely with his first two normal attacks, followed by a full long regular
musou. The fire depletion is deadly.
His C3 is much slower than Zhang Liao's, but still is a useful
move. His C3 is a lot safer in musou rages. His C3 is probably the best
method to attempt freezing officers, in musou rage combat.
The execution time of his C5 is too slow, and generals are able
to attack him in the process. But it's a good move to use when generals are
blocking. Since he moves forward quite a bit during the execution time, if he
are close enough to a blocking general, it's quite easy to land the charge
attack behind the general. This is a good way and the only way to
hit blocking generals. Although it's not very practical in most crowd sizes.
His C6 is probably an overrated move. Sure, the reach and range is
very good, but the attack is aerial. Like Guan Ping's C6, enemies
will like to do a jump attack on him. The execution and recovery time is also
mediocre. When doing it against a general as part of an attack combo, turn
away from the general as you execute his C6. This way, the general
will not block it. Normally, the execution time is too slow, which allows
generals to block in time. Knowing this is very useful because then, his
C6 is practically his only useful charge to serve as a finishing move
to a safe combo against generals in crowds, but still, it's a very risky
charge attack.
His C2, like Jiang Wei's is really useful, because of the awesome
reach and range, and is probably his most useful charge attack, believe it
or not. The reason for using his C2 is the same as Zuo Ci's and Jiang Wei's.
But it's not as useful as Zuo Ci's and Jiang Wei's. Since Zuo Ci's
and Jiang Wei's musous are both juggling, their C2's will almost guarantee a
free musou attack against officers, if they have a filled musou after the
C2. In Lu Meng's case, he'll be doing a juggling musou if his C1 hits officers,
but then, this almost never happens because the execution time is slow.
So this is a just a theoretical evaluation of his C2. If his light weapon
attacking speed makes his C1 fast enough, then surely, this disadvantage will
be seen. Otherwise, his C2 is very useful if he will have a filled musou
afterwards, because officers will off guard after blocking it.
His musou is not bad. Try to stay in good health, because once
in true musou, it is half damage. If his musou is done incorrectly,
officers will block the ending of it, and this is often a fatal situation.
However, it is possible to make the ending of his musou hit consistently.
The goal is to hit the officer at the very end of the slash before it.
This would naturally place the officer slightly to Lu Meng's right side during
his musou. This is how to make his musou always connect successfully.
The reason that his musou will get blocked if it's not used properly, makes
Lu Meng very incapable of fighting multiple officers. Fighting officers one
by one is no challenge. But he is at a huge disadvantage when facing
multiple officers, without musou rage. Zhang Liao's musou ending is also
unreliable like Lu Meng's. But Zhang Liao has his jump charge which is
invaluable for scattering the enemy.
What makes him such a poor character against generals in large crowds, is
his poor musou, horrible true musou, poor charge attacks, and absense of
an unblockable attack. Similar to Yue Ying, his C5 can be used to
hit blocking generals, but you have to work your way and creep around the
general, from the side. So there is very little consistency in the
unblockability of his C5. Yue Ying's C5 is much easier to execute against
blocking officers in crowds.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
8.24 - Xing Cai
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"See ya later"
I really don't know why KOEI put Zhang Fei's daughter in this game. Maybe they
thought it was absolutely necessary to make more female characters. Even so,
Xing Cai is among my favorite characters. She is the other one of the two
characters who has a shield, which makes her immune to flinching when hit by
normal attacks while she is attacking.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 34
Medium Weight
Horse 15
Speed 16
Defense 17
Musou 17
Life 15
Not too bad of a weapon. Xing Cai's jump charge is very abusable, so charge
and fill, and of course attack, would help a lot.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Way of Musou
Ginseng
Light Orb/Ice Orb
The Way of Musou, like for most other characters, is useful for a faster
offense against officers.
The Light Orb is useful for to set up for her true musou after her C3.
Although, it's very easy to hit blocking officers with her C3, so the Ice Orb
will be quite useful for double damage. Ice or no ice, it'll take two musous
to kill regular officers anyway, so ice will only help against playable
officers. Light is probably the best choice anyway, because if you aim her
jump charge at officers most of the time when refilling her musou, she'll
do a lot of cumulative damage to them in the process.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
I really hate how KOEI made her last three normal attacks jabbing attacks. They
cover such useless range, that you will probably never use them, and thus
never use her C6. I bet the reason why they gave her a series of
jabs before her C6 is that since she has the ability to absorb
enemy normal attacks (but still take the damage) it would act sort of like
a sacrifice to use her C6. So then, this would suggest that her
C6 is very useful....but I don't see it. Anyway, there's no point
in guessing the reason why she has three jabs in a row in her normal attack
string. Since the sacrifice of taking enemy hits during these 3 jabs is
definitely not worth it in Chaos, this would suggest to never use her C6.
Well, I suppose that, because of it's scattering ability, it could be useful
with greeting crowds, but her C4 does a much better job in an
easier and safer way.
Always make good use of her C5 from a distance to attack enemies
when you can. This is quite a useful way of musou filling. Although, there is
a huge caution to consider for her C5. The execution point is at the tip of
her fork, so enemies that are too close to her will not get hit. Her C5 is
thus, strictly for distanced combat.
The best method of musou filling is with her jump charge. Her jump charge is
safe enough to abuse with almost complete safety. In large crowds, she'll have
to jump just as she lands to avoid getting hit. But as crowds get larger and
larger, she'll be able to fill her musou with her full C3. Like Lu Xun, and
Zhou Yu, this is all that is needed for an ideal offense. Her jump charge is
also very useful for escaping when surrounded.
Her C4 is a great attack for crowd clearing as it has two parts that
cover good range. They are both scattering attacks as well. Only the first
part is elemental. However, the execution time is somewhat slow, making it
easy to get hit if executed in large crowds.
Her C3 is excellent, and easily her best charge attack. She attacks
quite fast, covering good range all around her. She also moves forward a lot
during the charge sequence, which keeps her very safe from enemies
attempting to attack from behind. Also, because of the distance that she
covers, it is easy to creep around blocking generals in the process and hit
them from behind. The major downfall is that the recovery time is slow, so
make sure that she will have a full musou bar after it. Even if you don't
though, I have found that directly after the recovery time is often a very
good opportunity to anticipate a counterattack. Her C3 should be execised in
her musou rage as well, followed by her true musou.
Her C1 isn't so great. Although it disorientates her enemies, the
range isn't enough, and the recovery time is slow. It's also an aerial attack,
so if you get hit, you can be juggled.
Her counterattack is the same thing as the first part of her C4.
As you know already, it's a horizontal slash with good scattering ability,
which makes it an excellent counterattack.
The ending of her true musou covers a lot of distance. Blocking generals will
almost always get hit if they are within the range. It is very possible to
juggle a general after her true musou, but you have to be really quick about
it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________
8.25 - Liu Bei
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"For my brothers!!!!"
Historically, Liu Bei wields two swords. This is probably very well known too.
I really wonder why Koei gave him one, one-handed sword. The image of Lu Xun
fits him quite well....with a mustache maybe. Anyway, Liu Bei has decent range
in his normal attacks, and his charge attacks are very useful. Many of you
have probably noticed the four other characters who are very similar to Liu
Bei. These five characters are Liu Bei, Sun Quan, Sun Jian, Dong Zhou, and
Yuan Shao. The first three normal attacks are identical for all five of these
characters. Their musous are also very similar. I've ranked Liu Bei and Yuan
Shao to be the best of these five characters.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 34
Medium Weight
Luck 20
Horse 15
Speed 18
Defense 18
Musou 15
Quite similar to Yuan Shao's 4th weapon. A long musou with low fill, and low
attack is almost never a good thing. Because of Liu Bei's jabbing fourth
normal attack, his offense is quite limited. I recommend for Liu Bei fans
to watch my Bai Di video, where he is configured with a 3rd weapon with attack,
and a short musou. The video includes the True Way of Musou item, from
Xtreme Legends. When configured this way, with fill 40, he can often fill his
musou with just his C3, and his musou will take out regular officers in just
one musou. This makes Liu Bei a very high tier character. But anyway...for
now, he'll stay this way with his 4th weapon.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Way of Musou
Ginseng
Ice Orb
Equip Liu Bei with the Way of Musou because of the fire, and the
powerful ending. It's very easy for generals to block just before the ending of
his regular musou, because it's too slow. I've found his true musou to be a
bit safer, but still possible for generals to block. The Ginseng is good
since his 4th weapon does not have a fill bonus.
Equip the Ice Orb on Liu Bei. The main reason is to halt generals after his
charge attacks so that he can do a proper musou on them. Since doing a musou
after his C3, C5, or C6, generals will be knocked into the
air, where his musou damage will be cut in half. With the Ice Orb, there is
a higher probability the generals will be stationary after his charge attacks.
There is still a disadvantage when generals are frozen, because the fire
from his true musou will not deal any damage, so try to make use of the ice
mainly to keep generals planted on the ground, and then try to use his musou
when the ice thaws.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Liu Bei is only placed this high because of his jump charge. Like Lu Xun,
his jump charge gives him an abusable method of musou filling. Although it
is slow, it is very defensive. However, his jump charge is one of the worst
of its kind. The initial strike is often a disadvantage, because it wastes
time. Since you would often want just the second part of his jump charge,
the first part will cause him to have to run a bit more, to create
more distance, so that you can waste his first jump charge strike safely.
In massive crowds, this first strike will prove to be dangerous. Also, the
slope of the projectile launched during the second part of his jump charge
is very steep. This means that its musou filling ability is not as good,
because it will hit less peons, while scattering them.
His C5 itself is very good, but it loses its effectiveness because
of the lack of range in his fourth normal attack. So it's quite hard to pull
off his C5 without getting hit in large crowds. Note that his
C5 is one on those diverging charge attacks with wide range. This
means that it is possible, when correctly distanced, to hit blocking generals.
His C5 is also one of those charge attacks that allow enough time
for generals to block or to attack him, because the execution time is slow.
But if you turn around during the execution time, and have his back facing
the general, it will always work if the distance is correct.
His C6 is likely his best charge attack. There is
nearly no execution time for it. This is useful in massive crowds.
You'll notice that because the execution time is much longer for Yuan Shao's
C6, he lacks the ability to use his C6 in massive crowds,
like the way Liu Bei can. However, the recovery time for Liu Bei's C6
is longer than Yuan Shao's. The recovery time is almost exactly as long as the
time is takes for the enemy to recover from the stun caused by his C6
So this could be somewhat dangerous if he is surrounded without a
filled musou, because the peons not killed by his C6 are ready to attack
right when Liu Bei's recovers.
Liu Bei's C5 and C6, are similar to Gan Ning's. Both are 360 degree attacks.
Both C5's have fast recovery time, but a risky execution, and both C6's
have a very safe execution, but slow recovery time. Thus, the same ideas
apply to Liu Bei, for choosing which one of the two to use.
Liu Bei's set of 360 charge attacks though, are inferior to Gan Ning's.
His C1 is capable of hitting blocking generals from behind, but
is likely impractical to use in most situations. He will be susceptible to
enemy juggling if you get hit.
Liu Bei's ideal offense, is a very slow one, even with a strong grounded
musou, because his most ideal method of musou filling, is a very very slow one.
But his jump charge is still very useful, and is the only thing that places
him this high in the tier list.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________
8.26 - Cao Ren
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"You leave me no choice"
Reasons why Cao Ren is ranked this high are because of his awesome ability
to fight at a distance, and his strong musou. His musou proves to be very
useful even though he has a light fourth weapon. Since the best way of using
Cao Ren in Chaos is to abuse his second charge, I believe Cao Ren would work
muc better with a medium fourth weapon. Both his signature moves, his
second charge and his musou will deal a lot more damage. With these two
moves, he is an average character against crowds and fighting generals.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 32
Light Weight
Fill 15
Bow 15
Defense 18
Attack 15
Life 19
A very interesting weapon, particularly because of his non-flinching property
when attacking. Life, defense, and bow all contribute to a very good defense.
It will take a good several hits to kill him when he's in red health with
high defense, and this is probably the only time I would ever suggest
defensive items. Defensive items on other characters are useless because they
will merely let the character get hit a few more times. But what makes
defensive items useful on Cao Ren that since he is resistant to flinching
when attacking, he'll still be attack while he's being hit, and this
will limit the possibilities of continuous attacks on him. And with all this
put together, with a short musou, and high fill, it is very very easy to
to get into red health safely with him. The point is, there's a very high
chance that he will survive any stage. No other character is capable of
doing this. This should enable Cao Ren a high tier placement, because once
in red health, it would arguable that, when he now has a way of finishing
the stage without ever getting hit.
It is disappointing that his weapon is light weight however. His medium
weight attacking speed isn't much slower than his light weight attacking
speed. He would then have a 1.25 stronger attack.
Another note on his weapon though. If his 4th weapon were to have a speed
bonus on it, then Cao Ren would have a perfect defense. When configured
with speed 40, he is fast enough to outrun crowds to create unlimited
opportunities to use his C3. But because he will need to waste his first two
normal attacks, he will often have to run for a very long time.
Refer to his analysis, in section 10.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Peacock Amulet
Tortoise Amulet
Fire Orb/Ice Orb
The first recommendation of defensive items. The reason is explaned above:
with a high defense, high fill, and a short musou, he will have a very high
chance in taking hits until he gets into red health. With high defense
like this, not many hits will take him from yellow straight down to zero
health. The necessity of the Ginseng is minimal, because his C6 with his
five normal attacks will fill his musou easily, even against a peon crowd of
five.
Equip the Fire Orb or Ice Orb. You don't want to break the guard of blocking
officers with the Light Orb when using his C6. If you allow officers to
block it. You will be able to execute a full musou on them quite easily.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Make use of Cao Ren's C3 for distanced combat, whenever it is possible.
And just his C3 will take care of many situations. For everything else,
resort to his C6. As mentioned above, his C6 will very often end with a filled
musou. Just do a short musou if there's danger after his C6. It is however,
very easy to anticipate a counterattack after his C6, because of the running
speed of his C6 makes it so that peons catch up to him, just after he recovers.
Mastering this will enable him to waste less musous. Large crowds are good for
Cao Ren. After his C6, follow up with his musou. It takes three musous, this
way, to kill regular officers. Not a bad offense. Something that might be
useful, is to attack in a circle. But this won't help very much because none
of his attacks go in the same direction. They always alternate. If many of his
attacks went in the same direction, his defense would be extremely good,
especially with his 4th weapon.
One important thing to note about Cao Ren's musou is that, when used
improperly, it can allow generals to block. This is analogous to Lu Xun's
musou, in that generals can block in between musou strikes because of the i
rregular pacing. When using Cao Ren's musou against generals, circle around
them in a counterclockwise direction. This will ensure full prevention of
generals blocking it. Going clockwise is pretty hard.
Cao Ren's C2 covers very good reach and range. It may be a good idea
to use this in very large crowds to fill his musou, although, it really depends
on how much of his musou is filled, and how big of a crowd he is facing.
Anyhow, his C1 has good musou filling potential, and may be a very
good option when crowds start to close in, when you know that it will fill
his musou.
His jump attack is very useful for when enemies start to surround him. It is
very quick, and the range is very decent. However, it's obvious that it's
usefulness is limited, because it doesn't have long reach.
The reason that I recommend using Cao Ren's counterattack for
scattering the enemy is because his C4 is terrible. The reach of his
C4 is minimal. Cao Ren's counterattack is another very ideal one, like Zhou
Yu's.
And thus, this is a very short analysis for Cao Ren. He truly is an interesting
case, with his 4th weapon. Even though getting hit is often unavoidable,
his non-flinching property is what allows him to be placed this high in the
tier list, for good defense. Watch his health closely, and your trigger finger
for his musou. Once in red health, he's basically set.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
__________________
8.27 - Huang Zhong
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"There's still life in me yet"
Man....this guy gets better and better in each DW installment. His regular
charge attack is upgraded from 1 to 6 volleyshots, and not to mention, it's
piercing. Well, what can I say....his marksmanship was unparalleled afterall.
It's very noticeable in Dynasty Warriors 3 and 4, that he's the only one of
the 5 tiger generals that sucks. But even so, His melee combat is terrible.
The three light weapon wielders who do not have an extra attack bonus on their
weapon, are Sun Jian, Huang Zhong, Xu Zhu, with respective base attacks of 34,
36, 38. A mastered Huang Zhong should have pretty close to flawless defense,
while dealing some pretty good damage mainly with archery. Huang Zhong
would deserve a much higher rank with a better 4th weapon.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 36
Light Weight
Fill 18
Horse 15
Bow 20
Defense 15
Musou 15
Having a light weapon with no attack bonus, Huang Zhong has one of the
weakest attacking strengths in the game. His C1 and musou are so much
stronger with a weapon with attack 20 on it. His offense is very fast in
Xtreme Legends with a light 3rd weapon with attack 20, and the True Way of
Musou item. But other than weak attack strength, fill, musou, and bow are
all useful for Huang Zhong's moveset. The defense is wasted. Huang Zhong's
defense is absolute, with his jump charge. His only flaw is a very slow
offense.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Fire Arrows
Way of Musou
Huang's Bow/Demon Band/Wind Scroll
Ice Orb
The Huang's Bow only slightly upgrades his C1, and his C3. The damage increase
of his C1 when the Huang's Bow is equipped is approximately 5/4, so the
difference is hardly noticeable, but there's nothing better to give him.
The Demon Band might be a good choice, although his strategy remains the
same with jump charges that waste time. When mastered, he should be
able to kill officers easily in one musou rage, even with a such a slow
offense, but it would help against multiple officers. The Wind Scroll is
a still a good choice, even though he's best with distanced combat. It's
not a bad idea to resort to his C5 to freeze officers in small crowd
sizes. The Fire Arrows helps a lot against officers in crowds. Because
his offense should only be distanced attacks, always having fire in his
offense is very useful. It's easy to just follow up after his C1 or C3 for
a fire musou; the inclusion of the Way of Musou isn't for a stronger offense.
It's the ending of his true musou that is useful. It's usefulness however,
can only be seen in massive and continuous crowds. Without his true musou,
he'll be forced to continously use his jump charge, and in some stages, he'll
have to jump charge a lot of times. With the ending of his true musou,
he can jump charge directly after the ending, and if it's done correctly, he
should be able to do a C1 right after this jump charge. This greatly
enhances his offensive speed in massive crowds. He also has a bit more
flexibility, since he doesn't have to go through his C1 or C3 to go a musou
with fire.
The Ice Orb is good for double musou damage, but with his weak 4th weapon,
the damage increase isn't very much at all. Generally...the orb choice is
irrelevant, because of Huang Zhong's distanced combat.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Huang Zhong's fourth weapon is light, and has a base attack of 36. This makes
his normal attacking strength the second weakest in the game.
The two archer characters of the game Xiahou Yuan and Huang Zhong both have
the very unique property of using the bow attack during the execution of
certain charge attacks. Xiahou Yuan and Huang Zhong can both pull out their
bows at any time during their C1. This property can help in a few
ways. First, it can be considered a cancellation of the charge attack the L1
button is pressed during the execution time. Secondly, it is possible to shoot
an arrow at an airbourne enemy directly after hitting him/her up with their
C2. Going further with this, it is possible to juggle a general in
the air with arrows (doing musou when holding L1) after doing their C2.
Obviously, in Chaos mode, these interesting properties can't really be
put to any good use. The point is just to tell you an interesting fact about
these two characters. Also, Xiahou Yuan is capable of doing this with only his
C2, while Huang Zhong can do it with his C2 and C5.
As Huang Zhong is arguably the best distanced fighter, there is one obvious and
distinguishing strategy, which is continually mashing on the triangle button.
With his fourth weapon being light, execution time is very fast, as
well as the time between each volleyshot. Since you will almost always be
fighting at a distance, the Green Scroll greatly accents this usefulness.
When enemies are too close to safely execute his C1, just jump charge
to a safe place to do some more C1. After doing his jump charge a few times,
he should be set for a few more rounds of his C1. If crowd sizes are small,
and officers are too close to do his C1 safely, his C3 can be used. Just do
a quick jump attack after it to hit cancel the officers disoriented state,
or simply do his true musou.
When dueling with enemy generals, whether they are blocking or not, you
can attempt to use his C5. Like Zhao Yun's, it is unblockable if he is
attacking close enough. Without the Wind Scroll on, his close combat
is limited to small crowds, or one on one's. But his C1 is still probably
the fastest offense in a one on one situation.
A slight disadvantage with Huang Zhong's C1 is that there isn't
really a finishing blow. If you do his C1 on a general really close
in, you'll be forced to use his musou, because the general will recover from
his arrows faster than Huang Zhong recovers from his C1. But simple planning
would easily eliminate this flaw, by always ensuring that he has a filled
musou after a C1 if you plan to use it against an officer close in.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________
8.28 - Da Qiao
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"Now I'm serious"
Many people hate the fact that the two Qiaos have heavy 4th weapons. I
actually think they are best with heavy weapons. Considering the attributes on
their fourth weapons, and their stats by nature, they are generally more
devoted to defense (and speed). So the upgrade in strength by means of giving
them heavy weapons eliminates this issue of weakness. Secondly, their regular
attacking speed (with medium weapons) is very fast, so when equipped with heavy
weapons, they don't actually attack too slowly, so the downgrading isn't too
extreme. The two Qiao's with their heavy 4th weapons still have very safe
attacking speed. The two Qiaos with heavy final weapons attack faster than
Pang De with his light 4th weapon. Since all of the normal attacks of the
two Qiaos have decent range, trading slower attacking speed for stronger
attacking power is very very practical, thus makes the two Qiaos better.
Additionally, and probably most beneficial, musou attacking speed will always
stay the same; going from a lighter weight weapon to a heavier weight weapon
will always benefit in a 1.2 times stronger musou attack at the same musou
attacking speed. Not so much does this aspect affect Xiao Qiao's musou,
but because of her heavy 4th weapon, Da Qiao's musou deals relatively heavy
damage. I hope this is a good enough argument to persuade heavy weapon haters.
Furthermore, Da Qiao with a lighter weapon will gain nothing in defense.
Her short reach will always make it inevitable, that she will get hit.
In Xtreme Legends, her musou is strong enough to kill regular officers from
full health, in just one musou.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 32
Heavy Weight
Luck 18
Attack 16
Life 15
Defense 15
Musou 19
A very good weapon for Da Qiao. Defensive attributes help a little, because
her normal attacks don't exactly guarantee safety. But the life and defense
bonuses can be seen to be very useful in Xtreme Legends, when heavy weapon
wielders gain the non-flinching property. Thus, in Xtreme Legends, Da Qiao is
another Cao Ren. But in Dynasty Warriors 5, nobody else is capable of Cao
Ren's strategy. Fill would make her a bit more defensive.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Ginseng
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
Because the frequency of her musou strikes is low, the fire is more useful
in a true musou like Da Qiao's. The Ginseng will help a lot to fill her
long musou, to make it safer after her sixth normal attack or evolution
attacks.
The Ice Orb is useful for double musou damage. But the advantage isn't very
great.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Being the only heavy weapon wielder with an extra attack bonus on her 4th
weapon, Da Qiao has the strongest normal attacking strength in the game....
which is weird....she is above Xu Zhu, who supposedly possessed incredible
strength, who now has one of the lowest normal attacking power in the game.
Quite ironic if you ask me. Of course, these statistics are with 4th weapons
equipped. (you may refer to section 14.3 for normal attack ranking)
Musou filling is an easy task with Da Qiao... if you don't get hit. What I
mean is that her normal attacks have such good range that musou filling is
very easy simply with her normal attacks; but what she suffers from is
relatively bad reach, and there's really nothing much you can do about it,
because her normal attacks are by far the best and most practical method
of offense when her musou isn't filled. So fight with her normal
attacks for crowd clearing, with your fingers crossed in hopes of not getting
hit. But still, with this said, the chances of getting hit during her normal
attacks are still pretty rare because her maximum reach is only slightly less
than the reach of spear-using-peons, and halberd-using-peons. Thus, it can be
said that fighting against peons wielding swords is the safest....but whatever.
It has little to do with peon reach, because she gets hit ultimately because
of her own short reach. All of her normal attacks have excellent range,
especially her fourth and fifth ones. So it is "usually" safe to attack
blindly in large groups. Her sixth normal attack is perfect for ending off an
attack, as it will often free her into a safe position, thus eliminating the
threat of having a recovery time. Just make sure that you don't jump into
trouble. She is therefore, placed in this tier, for unavoidable hits, but
she still has a good defense.
The strength of her musou is devastating. This is why I'm going to recommend
using her musou whenever you can. It is really strong because of her heavy
weapon. If only she could move, and not be planted on the ground.
The rushing sequence of her C3 has bad reach and range, and is
very slow. Her C3 is probably useful in duelling generals only.
The only reason I can think of for using her C3 is for
canceling a general's guard with the light orb so that you can use her true
musou, or to freeze a general with the Ice Orb so that her musou will deal
massive damage. It's very important to note that the execution time for the
last part of her C3 is somewhat long, and generals are sometimes
able to block this. A good way to avoid getting hit after, if generals do
block it, is to turn around and have her back facing the general during the
execution time. This is crucial as it will create some safety distance between
you and the general; in the case that it does get blocked, there should be
enough room to escape. But in the end, this charge attack is next to useless.
Use it only in musou rages, to attempt freezing officers.
Although her C4 scatters the enemy, the range is only her two sides,
and not directly in front of her. So if you use it in a large crowd, it is
likely that you will hit only the enemies on her two sides, and leave the
enemies directly in front you unharmed, during the entire process of... flying.
It would be wise to learn the exact range covered by her C4, to
fully understand when and how to use it. Although again...it's inferior to
her normal attacks.
Her C2 actually has great range, but sadly, the execution time is
quite slow, and the reach is unreliable. This move is good to quickly rid of
the peons that come in small groups of five.
Her C6 has very very good reach and range, but it doesn't quite
compensate for the slow execution time, and the extremely slow recovery time.
The recovery time is probably just as bad as Meng Huo's C4.
It's generally a bad move to do in large crowds, because she'll likely always
get hit after the charge attack, since the enemy has so much time to walk up
to her and attack while she takes her time to pose after the charge
attack. It is much more practical to just do her sixth normal attack. It
covers very good reach and range, and best of all she jumps forward. The
jumping forward is very useful for escaping.
Her C1 is a good choice if you have enough time for it. The
execution time is ridiculously slow, because of her heavy 4th weapon.
Like all of her other charge attacks, her C5 also has long
execution time. However, the execution time is so long
that blocking generals will stop blocking and attempt to attack, but will
pretty much never succeed in hitting her because the her C5 will
execute in the nick of time. Be aware though, that you have to be close enough
to the general for this to work. It should be noted that this isn't 100%
efficient but still very reliable against blocking officers in small crowd
sizes. It's useful since it will set up for her true musou no matter what,
with a 60% chance of freezing.
One minor tip is, that if you learn the timing for her jump charge, it is
possible to set generals on fire, while they are still on the ground. When
done correctly, the general will wail, and drop to the ground slowly. This
allows enough time to follow up with some fiery juggling. Same tip as with
using Zhang Jiao, you have to time the fire ball to hit the ground, right at
the general's feet. This is generally a slower way of killing generals, but
a much safer way.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________________
8.29 - Sun Shang Xiang
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"Who says a woman has to be weak"
Shang Xiang may often be considered not very useful in hard mode, simply
because her offensive performance is quite slow. Many characters are capable of
killing much faster than her. Sun Shang Xiang is however, much more valuable
in Chaos because of her defensive fighting. Some of her charge attacks have
very safe reach and range, that make them very abusable. Her normal attack
string also has very protective attack range. The only thing she is lacking
for defensive fighting is good reach.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 32
Heavy Weight
Luck 19
Bow 15
Speed 19
Defense 17
Life 15
This is a pretty bad 4th weapon, even though the Heavy weight is the best
choice. Heavy is the best for Sun Shang Xiang because her attacking speed
doesn't cause much of a downgrade in her defense at all. Light or Heavy, just
like Da Qiao, her defense is the same. Her heavy weapon compatibility is
even more obvious in Xtreme Legends when it grants the no flinching property.
Since her short reach means getting hit is unavoidable (but rare), the life
and defense bonuses are useful, but still do very little for her defense.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Way of Musou
Ginseng
Ice Orb
The Way of Musou is useful for the powerful ending. It's usually most
practical to do a quick musou instead of a full one, because it is hard to
juggle with her musou, because of its high height. The Ginseng is good
for faster fill, but Sun Shang Xiang's C6 gives her a very safe way of musou
filling anyway.
Sun Shang Xiang may be a character who could qualify for the Shadow Orb.
Mainly because of her excellent C6. The orb activates at the very beginning
of the charge attack. First of all, since her C6 doesn't deal heavy damage,
the Shadow Orb will help a lot in killing peons, and since it activates at
the very beginning, her musou gauge will resume filling during the rest of her
C6. And the good thing is that it doesn't matter if her musou gauge
doesn't completely fill up, because the recovery time for her C6 is
very fast, and the reach and range of the charge is very dependable. To top
things off, her walking speed is very fast; thus, she can safely escape after
executing her C6, practically every single time. Now I'm not saying
that you should equip the Shadow Orb on her, but that Sun Shang Xiang is one
of the only characters who works well (or is able to survive) with
the Shadow Orb equipped. But of course, this would mean that your only means
of an offense is her C6, because her other charge attacks have very
long recovery times. Ultimately the Ice Orb is the most practical one to
equip, for the two important reasons of double musou damage and that her
musou is very hard to juggle officers with.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
All of her normal attacks have very good range except for her third one.
Keeping this in mind, try to enter crowds after her third charge.
Her C6 is undoubtedly her most useful. The execution time can be
faster, but it is fast enough to be quite consistently safe. The recovery time
is very fast. Because of this, it is almost always safe enough to run away
after it, and this makes her a good candidate for the Shadow Orb. The execution
time of her C6 is normally long enough for generals to block it. If you turn
away from the general, it will often be successful. This is largely because
the charge attacks begins behind her. Turning her back to officers will allow
it to hit them at the very beginning of the charge attack. The nice thing with
the quick recovery time, is that even if generals do block it, it is possible
to block directly after. Because of its useful reach and range, and its
ability to hit officers easily, her C6 is incredibly useful for dealing with
generals in large crowds.
Her C6 is better than her C3 in every way. Even so, her C3 may still be of
some use. The ending of it has good range, but sadly, the recovery time is
very long. Her C3 is a good idea only if she has a full musou to bail her out.
Sometimes in massive crowds, it may be too hard to get to her C6 because her
third normal attack lacks good range. Resorting to her C3 is often a better
alternative, if she has a partially filled musou.
Her C5 is useful, but only for duelling generals. When
generals aren't blocking, you would use her C6 and attempt
to freeze them. In the case that generals are blocking, just use her C5. Just
like Pang De's and Da Qiao's, the execution time is long enough that officers
stop blocking and attempt to attack, but short enough that it will always
execute in the nick of time, and hit officers first. This is also a good way to
freeze officers, when they are blocking.
Something else that is very useful is her jump charge. While it doesn't grant
as much safety as the projectile air charges, like Zhou Yu's, it is still
quite abusable, for either easy musou filling or a scattering attack. However,
musou filling with her regular attacks is pretty safe already. Even though her
jump charge is a safer way to fill her musou, it is a very slow method of
attacking. Try to maximize the attack range my moving in the desired direction
during the jump charge. Its scattering ability is the main aspect that makes
it such a useful move. It may be good to use it to scatter massive crowds.
All of her other charge attacks are useless and impractical. Her C1
covers obviously impractical range. Her C1 like many others are useless.
her C4 is a very good scattering attack, with good range, but
because her third normal attack has poor range, and the execution time is
super long, it can't really be put to good use at all. However with a medium
weight weapon, her C4 if centered on an officer properly, it will do a combo of
2, and thus double damage. But this is an interesting fact at best. A better
application of this knowledge is to try to steer her counterattack to deal
double damage, since it is exactly the same as her C4.
For Shang Xiang, its all about her C6, and her musou when generals
are frozen. Her C3 may also be used depending on the situation. Her
fast walking speed is a big advantage as well. Because of her abusable
C6 and her terrible musou, saving musous for frozen officers is a very good
idea. Unlike Huang Gai, there isn't much of an elegant solution to make her
musou be able to juggle. There is a way, but it's very hard to control or
replicate the result each time you do her musou. It's possible if she zigzags
from left to right at the right speed, while keeping the officer always in
front of her. It's too hard to explain how to master this, but there is a way
to do it. I have made a video to show how it can be done. Search for it
at the main page, www.youtube.com/dw5chaosmodeguide. In the end, it's a very
unreliable method of juggling. Experiment for yourself.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
8.30 - Zhou Tai
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"It's over"
Often a very over-rated character. Likely because he's actually really good on
HARD mode. Zhou Tai's not as good anymore, compared to Dynasty Warriors 4. His
reach is shorter, and his C3 has less range.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 36
Medium Weight
Fill 16
Attack 17
Life 15
Speed 15
Musou 18
This is a very good 4th weapon for Zhou Tai. The fill bonus is very important.
Even with a musou bonus, with this extra fill, and the Ginseng equipped, his
filling ability should be good enough. The musou bonus is good for a much
faster offense against officers.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Ginseng
Way of Musou
Light Orb
Equipping the Fire Orb on Zhou Tai works, although it doesn't work as well
as this configuration. Using the fact that officers like to just walk into
Zhou Tai's C3, he works well with the fire orb, and the exclusion of the
Way of Musou. But this method of offense is very limited, because it will
only work against officer approaching from a distance, or against officers
only in small crowds. And even if we take out the Way of Musou, there really
isn't a fifth item that's useful for Zhou Tai. Hmm....Arm Guards with his C3,
and Fire Orb....possible, but his C3 is no where near as defensive as Zhang
Fei's. This Light Orb and Way of Musou setup will allow Zhou Tai to use his
C3 with a lot less limitations. Also, with a filled musou, he can just walk
up to an officer and use his true musou, instead of always having a C3
with Fire Orb preceding a regular musou.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Zhou Tai has pretty good reach and range in his normal attacks, but it's not
easy to survive in crowds with just his normal attacks because he tends to
move forward too much. Because Zhou Tai also lacks a good set of useful
charge attacks, and stopping after his normal attacks isn't safe enough,
Zhou Tai is incapable of a defense good enough to place him in high tiers.
His C4 is very useful for scattering crowds, but the execution time can be
dangerous. Because of it's long execution time, Zhou Tai's C4 is quite
dangerous against officers in crowds. This limits his offensive methods
severely. If officers aren't blocking, then his C4 will be interrupted, likely
by a quick jump attack. If officer's are blocking, then his C4 will be
blocked, and there's no way around it. This is another reason to give Zhou Tai
the Light Orb, for better defense and flexibility. Lastly, the recovery of his
C4 isn't great either, so forces musous after his C4 will arise.
Even though Zhou Tai has long reach, his normal attacks can't be abused like
Zhao Yun's, Guan Yu's, or Yue Ying's. The best normal attack to attempt this
with would be his fourth normal attack because of its horizontal range.
But it's too bad, that it can't be abused with consistency. However, the fact
that his fourth normal attack has long reach and very wide horizontal range,
can still be used effectively. If you purposely stop after his fourth
normal attack and do his jump attack, Zhou Tai's capable of a pretty
safe offense. Although not ideal, this is the best offensive and defensive
musou filling method for Zhou Tai. This works quite well because his jump
attack also has long reach and wide range. Since his jump attack has much faster
and safer recovery, it can be use in place of his C4. Then, there are three
possibilies for Zhou Tai depending on the situation: He can do a quick
jump attack after his fourth normal attack if he isn't surrounded. In large
crowds however, even if he begins his first normal attack against crowds with
no threats behind him, it's no surprise for him to end up with some peons
behind him after his fourth normal attack is executed. His normal attack can
still be used though; knowing that peons are just beginning to surround him,
he can jump high, and backwards, and then do a jump attack. This method is
also very useful and safe. The third possibility of course would be to waste
his musou for defense. Anyhow, this is by far the best and safest way to
musou fill with Zhou Tai. If there's opening, make a run for it, and then
sneak up quickly on an officer and unleash his true musou.
With a full musou, or close to a full musou, he can use hs C3 as alternative
method with the Light Orb against officers, to set up for his true musou.
Even though his C3 covers less reach and range than it does in Dynasty
Warriors 4, it is still a useful move. It is particularly useful
to enter large crowds with it. Notice that most of the range is on the left-
hand side of Zhou Tai, so it is very effective if you position it so that
most or all enemies are on his left-hand side; very often, the result is
attacking in a counter-clockwise direction while keeping your enemies always
on your left. Also, if you use it to enter a large crowd with against officers,
the they will almost always never block. His C3 is shown nicely in many of
my Zhou Tai videos. This is just like Ma Chao's and Zhang Fei's C3.
I would stay away from ever using his C2 and C5. They both have
unreliable reach and range. Even the execution of his C5 is unreliable
against officers, because it's easy for them to block it. It is possible to
have it connect successfully, if you hit officers with the very end of his
fourth normal attack, but there's no reason to resort to his C5 for any
reason.
His C1 is like Zhao Yun's and Lu Bu's, in that it grants
invincibility during the attack. But the biggest difference is that recovering
from it is quite long, so it's very easy to get hit after doing it.
This charge attack is what transforms Zhou Tai into a top tier character in
Xtreme Legends, because of the Dragon Arms item.
Make good use of his jump attack. The speed is nearly instantaneous if you do
it quick enough, and the range is very wide. Other than using it after his
fourth normal attack, it is very useful for getting out of dangerous
situations. You really have to decide when to use this. If he is surrounded,
it's often very safe to abuse his jump charge continuously until it's safe
enough to start walking again. It's very important to know how and when to use
this move. Otherwise, it's hard to grasp Zhou Tai's high tier list placement.
Once generals are isolated, his jump charge can be used to quickly take them
out. The good thing about it is that it can be done over and over again,
directly one after another.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
8.31 - Zhang Fei
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"I'm through playing"
A character for expert players. Zhang Fei is incredibly destructive if you keep
enough distance from him and his enemies. Zhang Fei has a strong musou by
default, kind of like Zuo Ci. His musou with a light weapon deals a lot more
damage, relative to others, also with light weapons. This is very nice, as it
makes Zhang Fei just as strong as a lot of other characters with medium weapons.
And this is not just because of his stronger musou, his best offensive method
of abusing his C3, results in a pretty continuous 360 degrees charge attack.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 39
Light Weight
Fill 16
Horse 16
Defense 15
Attack 19
Musou 17
Good 4th weapon. Attack ratings are very high. Fill is quite useful, but
Charge might be better, since his musou filling ability is so good with his
C3 already. A Charge increase with a 360 degrees charge attack with long reach,
will contribute a lot of filling potential. Horse is not bad for Zhang Fei if
this tier list included Horse Combat, but even if it did, Zhang Fei's much
faster on ground, with not much downgrade in defense. If fill and horse were
swapped with charge and speed, his 4th weapon would be ideal.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Way of Musou
Arm Guards
Ice Orb
Since Zhang Fei is just so slow, some may prefer to equip the Speed Scroll
but a not even a speed increase of 40 is good enough for him to be able to
greet all crowds with just his C3. If this were possible Zhang Fei would have
an extreme defense. So this rules out the possibility of the Speed Scroll.
The Arm Guards is almost a needed item for Zhang Fei to be placed this high.
It is inevitable that he will have to enter crowds with his first normal attack,
and in massive crowds, even if you attack in a circle with his C3 to minimize
chances of getting hit, he still will get hit. Well, if this happens without
the Arm Guards, it's gonna be pretty hopeless afterwards, unless you do a
counterattack. With the Arm Guards equipped, he'll always finish his C3. And
the rare times that he does get hit, they will only be scratches.
Definitely give Zhang Fei the Ice Orb. Double damage seems a lot more apparent
with Zhang Fei, since his musou strikes are quite frequent and his musou
is strong by default. Others like Xu Huang don't benefit from the Ice Orb as
much because Xu Huang's musou is both weaker and less frequent. Since his C3
can be consistently unblockable, it only makes sense to give him the Ice Orb.
He's very similar to Ling Tong then, with his C3, Zhang Fei's offense is a
continuous charge attack with a guaranteed 60% chance of freezing officers.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Zhang Fei's offense should consist only of his C3, for the more effective
results. Try to enter all crowds with his C3. The time it takes for peons
to be stunned, works perfectly with the time it takes for Zhang Fei to do
his first two normal attacks. This means that Zhang Fei can easily waste his
first two normal attacks, as long as crowd sizes aren't that big. This is
perfect because if you do his first two normal attacks after his C3 he'll only
be juggling his enemies. If he turns around after his C3 and wastes his first
two normal attacks, and then turn around again to direct his C3 at the crowds
in front of him, his offense is much faster. However, this can't be done in
massive crowds. After his first C3, you may choose to either to do his C1 IF
this first C3 hits an officer and the officer isn't frozen. This will let
Zhang Fei continue his offense without juggling the officer, and give him
another chance with ice. But otherwise, there are other possibilities such as
using his musou, or if you want to save his musou because the officer hasn't
approached yet, he can just attack with his first two normal attacks. The Arm
Guards will allow for many hits during his C3. Since, his first normal attack
often covers enough range to flinch peons in front of him, his weakness is
mainly during his C3 slashes. But since these slashes cover decent attack
range, even if Zhang Fei is surrounded, attacking in a circle with the Arm
Guards equipped is still very safe. Something else that makes this
offense so incredible is that for some reason officers tend to like to
walk straight into his C3 slashes. This is less of a need since his C3 is
unblockable anyway, but still worth mentioning. Even with this one method of
offense, there are many possibilities. Learn all the possibilities and
apply them all correctly to fit the best situations, and Zhang Fei's defense
is very good. Forcing his C3 in large crowds, and getting hit with the Arm
Guards equipped, should be rare. Even though getting hit like this in
massive crowds is almost unavoidable, musou rages are enough to make this
rare enough for Zhang Fei's defense to be good enough to place him this high
in the tier list.
His C4 is great for scattering crowds, but the recovery time is way
too long. There isn't really a need to scatter the enemy at all, because of
the destructive power he can cause with his second charges.
All his other charge attacks are either useless or inferior to his C3.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
8.32 - Jiang Wei
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"Jiang Wei is here"
Jiang Wei truly is a character for experts. There is no way to guarantee
solid defense, but his defense is not too bad, if that makes any sense.
There are so many possibilities for Jiang Wei, yet none of them are especially
abusive for a good defense.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 36
Medium Weight
Luck 15
Speed 15
Attack 16
Musou 18
Life 17
Long musou with no fill is makes his weapon not such a good one. If he were to
have short musou with a fill 40 configuration, then his defense would be
very good.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Ginseng
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
The ginseng is almost a must for Jiang Wei. This fill increase of 20 still
isn't close to being enough to make Jiang Wei's defense good.
Equip the Ice Orb for double musou damage. Jiang Wei has his C3 and C5
for freezing officers, although neither of these two charge attacks can be
abused for freezing purposes.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Here are the choices for Jiang Wei: Normal attacks (almost limited to only
his normal attacks) against large crowds. One must memorize the smallest
crowd size that will fill his long musou, in just his six normal attacks,
for this to work. While it's rare to get his during his normal attacks, it's
still possible. This crowd size threshold is a pretty large size, and this is
what makes Jiang Wei a very hard character to use. In smaller crowd sizes
then, he has risks after his sixth normal attack. His normal attacks then
are still not that bad of a choice, but he will often need to counterattack
after his sixth normal attack. His C4 is often a good choice, for scattering
crowds, but the lack of reach and range of his second and third normal attacks,
plus the long execution time of his C4 make this a hard charge attack to
pull off. And like Zhou Tai's C4, it's very limited because it will not
hit officers. So there might be a good reason to give Jiang Wei the Light Orb.
Another possibility is his C3. Again, his C3 is yet another charge attack
that is useful, but never defensively full proof. From the time after his
first normal attack to just before the ending of his C3, it is very easy to
get hit. This is why it's best to enter crowds just after the execution of his
C3. When in a crowd size that is just below the threshold size that fills
his musou in his six normal attacks, Jiang Wei's defense is quite risky, and
his C3 seems to be the best choice.
To make things even more complicated, like Ma Chao's second normal attack,
Jiang Wei's is identical. The reach is much shorter, and if you hit officers
at the very tip of his first normal attack, his second normal attack will miss.
And officers will often do a jump attack on him. This is avoidable, but what
this means is another limitation for Jiang Wei. If an officer is at the lead
of an approaching crowd, he has no choice but wait for a bit, before attacking.
If the crowd size is very vast and dense, then it may be safer to enter the
crowd with his third or fourth normal attack. But then... if you have the time
to waste his first few normal attacks, then you have to time to use his C1.
Always use his C1 against approaching crowds, and his defense is greatly
upgraded. But since his C1 can't always be done, his defense remains risky,
in almost all crowd sizes.
After discussing Jiang Wei's possibilities in the above two paragraphs,
it can be seen that he's very limited when facing officers in any crowd size.
The best scenario is a dense crowd size that is just above that discuss
threshold, and the officer must be approaching from a distance in this
crowd, with no threats from behind. Jiang Wei is thus allowed to use his
C1 for defense, and because officers are approaching from a distance, there
is a good chance that they will not block his normal attacks. However, this is
only a chance, and never guaranteed. But it is still useful to point out
Jiang Wei's easiest scenario.
Here are other useful, but more minor ways to use Jiang Wei. Like Lu Meng,
Jiang Wei's C2 covers a lot of reach and range, but the execution time is slow
so officers will almost always not get hit by it. But because of its
reliable reach and range, it's very easy to hit officers after his C2,
if he has a full musou after it. This method is very useful, is Jiang Wei has
a partially filled musou. Similarly, if Jiang Wei has a partially filled
musou, it's useful to use his C5. If he will have a filled musou after it,
his C5 is good against officers, only in small crowd sizes, because it
will guarantee a setup after for his true musou. And with this, he will have a
60% at activating the Ice Orb. Another possibility when his musou is partially
filled, is to enter a crowd with his C3. Again, if he will end up with a filled
musou after it, it's very easy to time this to hit approaching officers, by
making use of the fact that officers will want to do a running attack, and
the fact that his C3 has long reach.
The last possible offenses to mention, is Jiang Wei's C6 and jump charge.
There's almost no good situations to use his C6 in. Against approaching
crowds, he would often want to use his C1 and normal attacks, but if the
crowd is too small to fill his musou with his normal attacks, then
his C6 is a good choice for a good method of scattering the crowd. His C4
is also possible in this situation, but his C6 is a bit safer, depending
on the distance. This will likely give Jiang Wei a partially filled musou,
which opens up the many possibilities in the above paragraph.
The only other thing to mention, on his C6, is that it can be used against
blocking officers, when crowd sizes are small, if you use the first part
to get behind the blocking officer, and then use the second part to land
a successful hit. But obviously, there's not much use for this tip, because
it requires very small crowds, and results in only one hit on an officer,
with no chance of orb activation. This really sucks. If only his C6 were
elemental, he would have a chance at freezing the officer, and thus a
chance to use his musou for double damage, which will make his C6 a somewhat
useful, yet conditional, unblockable attack. Jiang Wei fans, his C6 is elemental
in Xtreme Legends.
Small groups can be quickly taken out with his jump charge, only if the group is
clustered together, mainly because he is vulnerable from behind; so
large groups can migrate to end up surrounding him. Anyway, it is very
powerful, and the ending stuns enemies. It can be used against large
groups however, if you use his C1 before it, with it timed correctly.
Time it so it hits his enemies near the end of his jump charge. This
prevents enemies from hitting him during your recovery time. If you ever have
a general isolated, you can just repeatedly do this move, and after no more
than 5 times, it should be over. You have to time it perfectly, in a way
for him to land the first hit right after the general recovers from being
stunned. This way, he/she will stand planted on the ground. The timing is
really strict though, because just a split second late will allow generals to
block. This is the fastest way to kill a general without his musou.
To summarize, Jiang Wei should be a very fun character for pro players.
As discussed, he has lots of possibilies, depending on the situation.
And the fun lies in making quick decisions, and the idea that Jiang Wei has
no particular way to guarantee a perfect defense, but that his defense is
still quite good. If you learn all the these best possible choices in all the
possible scenarios, Jiang Wei should still be quite capable in the average
stage on Chaos Mode.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
8.33 - Yuan Shao
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"You dare incur my wrath?"
Yuan Shao is another one of the 5 similar sword characters: Sun Jian,
Sun Quan, Liu Bei, Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao. He is very similar to Liu Bei, because
of similar 4th weapons.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 34
Medium Weight
Fill 15
Horse 15
Bow 15
Defense 18
Musou 17
I can't help but say that any weapon that doesn't have attack on it, is a bad
weapon. Anyway, with a 3rd weapon with attack, and no musou, in Xtreme Legends,
the True Way of Musou will be enough to allow him to kill officers in just
one regular musou, and this is with a configuration of fill 40. Anyway,
refer to section 10 for this ideal setup for Yuan Shao.
A long musou on his 4th weapon isn't a bad idea. Although with a short musou
his defense may be a bit better.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Way of Musou
Ginseng
Ice Orb
The Way of Musou is a very important item for Yuan Shao. The ending to his
regular musou will almost always be blocked by generals. The reach and range
is also one of the worst, if not the worst. This is why it is important to
always be able to use his true musou, as it has a much safer and more powerful
ending. The fire also helps quite a bit against generals. Without his true
musou, you will almost always have to rely on counterattacking after his
regular musou to save yourself. Equipping the Ginseng will give him a very
high fill. But he still has relatively lower attack, and a long musou.
He won't benefit much from any orb. The Ice Orb is merely for a chance to
keep officers on the ground after his C6. But even if you don't it's
obviously not a big deal. After freezing officers with his C6, he can maybe
sneak in a few attacks before using his musou.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Always use his C6 against approaching crowds. His normal attacks can sometimes
be too dangerous to do in massive crowds. Another decently safe method of
attacking is to use his jump charge. His jump charge, although similar to
Xing Cai's, can't be abused because the forward distance covered after it
is not enough to make it safe. However, since his normal attacks string
starts to lose safe attack range, after his third normal attack, it's very
useful to stop after this attack to do his jump charge. Aim his jump charge
to a safe area. This offensive method, and his C6, are the most defensive.
But like the other characters in his tier, both these methods never guarantee
a complete defense.
Like Zhao Yun's normal charge, Yuan Shao's also grants invincibility at the
very beginning, but there is a huge difference between the two, in terms of
whether they can be used for safe escaping. For Yuan Shao, the invincibility
lasts for a very brief moment, and it is still very easy to get hit directly
after. If he gets hit, he will be susceptible to enemy juggle. His C1 is
generally not a good method of escaping. Alternatively, his jump charge
is much more useful for escaping. It is similar to Xing Cai's.
His C6 is very the most abusable. It will take out crowds easily
while at the same time, fill his musou. However, it may be quite hard to do
in larger crowds, mainly because of the somewhat long execution time. Yuan
Shao's C6 is more useful than Liu Bei's because it has very fast recovery. The
faster recovery time in Yuan Shao's is more valuable, because after
Liu Bei's C6, he'll often have to force his musou. Just like many other
shockwave charge attacks, his C6 is capable of hitting generals regardless of
their blocking. This is another advantage that Yuan Shao's C6 has
over Liu Bei's. If you miscalculate the correct distance to hit blocking
generals, because of the fast recovery time, Yuan Shao is able to safely run
away or block. Liu Bei's is a total different story. If you miss a blocking
general with his C6, there's really little hope in getting out safely.
Not only is Yuan Shao's C6 better than Liu Bei's, his C5 is
also more useful. One of the reasons is that Liu Bei's fourth normal attack
is a jab, which makes it quite hard to execute his C5 safely.
Secondly, Yuan Shao's C5 has enough range to be able to consistently
hit blocking generals. Liu Bei's C5 is essentially no different than his C6.
Thus, Liu Bei sort of has two identical charge attacks, while Yuan Shao has
two different ones, and both are useful for different situations.
For C3's, Liu Bei's is much better. While both their recovery times
are about the same, Liu Bei's C3 has more range, or more
specifically, more circular range. Yuan Shao's is a bit more horizontal.
It is usually much safer to do Liu Bei's C3 than it is to do Yuan
Shao's. However, Yuan Shao's is still not a bad move.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_____________
8.34 - Cao Pi
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"Why do they even bother"
A fun character to use. Cao Pi is the only one in the game with extra flexible
ice orbs after many of his charge attacks. While these are quite fun to use,
they don't do much in giving Cao Pi an advantage.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 34
Medium Weight
Fill 15
Defense 15
Musou 19
Speed 19
Attack 15
Probably one of the best 4th weapons in the game. Although charge might be
better than defense, or speed, since his C5 will benefit a lot from a charge
bonus, but it's not a big deal. The fill bonus with his long musou is
very important.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Ginseng
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
Adding a fill 20 onto that fill 15 on his weapon will make his musou filling
ability as good as Cao Cao's. Cao Pi's normal attacks are very safe like
Cao Cao's, and the higher fill that Cao Pi has along with his longer musou
fills just as a well as Cao Cao's normal attacks with his lower fill and
shorter musou. It would seem then that Cao Pi has an advantage over
Cao Cao; with a longer musou, at seemingly the same filling potential, when
maximized, Cao Pi's offense against officers needs only two musous, while
Cao Cao will need three.
The Ice Orb is useful for double musou damage, but it's not easy for Cao Pi
to freeze officers in large crowds.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
First, to execute Cao Pi's extra orbs after his charge attacks, just press
square after the charge attack. This works for his C2, C4, C5, and C6.
Also, if you press triangle after his last evolution attack,
he will deploy a shadow orb. Cao Pi is the only character in the game with
this shadow orb. This shadow orb isn't much of an advantage at all, simply
because having a full musou bar is so important in Chaos. There is very little
need in killing peons instantly anyway. So sacrificing his musou bar usually
isn't worth it. With the extra ice orbs after his charge attacks, use them
leisurely. Even though they are executed directly after his charge attacks,
it's still often too dangerous to use in large crowds.
The ending of his regular musou has more reach and attack range than that of
his true musou. The 360 ending is very good for crowd clearing. While the
ending of his true musou has less range, it is a scattering attack. It is
still probably a better choice to give him the Way of Musou for the fire, to
help with general killing, and not have that nice 360 ending. Other than
having relatively poor reach, and poor strength, Cao Pi's musou is unable to
do sharp turns. So there is less mobility in his musou.
In terms of crowd clearing Cao Pi is very similar to Cao Cao. Both of them have
good reach and very protective attack range in their normal attack strings.
Something that Cao Pi lacks is versatility in his charge attacks. Cao Cao
has much more flexibility in his attacks for crowd clearing, while Cao Pi is
often restricted to one or two charge attacks, and sometimes only his normal
attacks in massive crowds. Like Cao Cao, Cao Pi's normal attacks are very
protective, and good for musou filling, but without an abusable charge attack,
Cao Pi is also often forced to waste his musou.
His C5 has very nice 360 degree reach and range. The only thing to
complain about is the long execution time. It is long enough for
generals to block, or attack him. So it doesn't qualify for an attack that is
effective against generals in crowds. Normally, charge attacks that are too
long can be remedied by turning away from the general. This will often
result in a step away from the general, which creates enough safety distance
to execution the long charge attack successfully against generals. Some of the
many examples are Guan Yu's, Ma Chao's, and Huang Gai's C6. This
strategy however, is very risky with Cao Pi's C5. Simply turning
his back to officers will not do the job. It's still possible to hit officers
with his C5 if you maximize the distance between him and the officer, and
minimize the execution time, by positioning the officer to Cao Pi's right side
(just like Cao Cao would do with his C5).
However, this is still somewhat risky, and it takes a bit of effort to master.
His C5 is ideal for eliminating moderately sized crowds, but that's
about it. Because of its long execution time, it is quite hard to use it
in larger crowds. Unlike most long reach 360 degree charge attacks, Cao Pi's
C5 is hard to use to hit blocking officers. This is yet another limitation
that makes it not very useful against officers in large crowds, and why it's
particularly hard to freeze officers in crowds with Cao Pi. If an officer is
blocking, try to create as much distance as possible, but still allow the
officer to block it. If the distance is enough, it should be safe enough to
continue with the ice orb directly after his C5. This is useful in small
crowd sizes.
His C4 is a bit hard to control. There's also no need to scatter the enemy
with Cao Pi.
His C6 is also a scattering attack, but inferior to his C4 in terms of
scattering ability. Both execution and recovery are long, and the reach and
range are poor. It's generally a terrible charge attack altogether. However,
it can used to hit blocking generals, if done carefully. This is also somewhat
risky, but after some practise, it should have perfect consistency. Take
advantage of the distance covered in his C6. Knowing the charge attack is a
slash from right to left, you want to always be on the blocking general's
right side. If he is attacking close enough to the blocking general, it should
be easy to land his C6 behind the general. This makes his C6 his only
charge attack that is useful against blocking generals, but sadly in small
crowds only. The usefulness of this tip is for a chance to freeze blocking
officers, but his C6 is not a very useful charge attack for this because
it requires him to be close to the blocking officer, small crowds, and a filled
musou. And of course, if ice fails, the officer is hit away, and he'll be
forced to waste his musou yet again.
His other charge attacks are too impractical to ever use in Chaos. His C3 has
less reach and range than his normal attacks, as well as slower attacking
speed. His C3 is probably the fastest way to freeze an officer, but it is only
useful when officers are pretty much isolated. His C2, can be useful if his
C1 is used before hand. Time the explosion of his C1 after his C2, and it will
easily possible for him to continue with the ice orb after his C2.
The ice orb from his C1 should always be used to help against
large crowds. Try to use it whenever there is enough time for it to be
executed safely. His C1 will help a lot against generals that
are approaching in large crowds. Try to time it to explode when officers
approach. If the freezing is successful, unleash his musou for some
good damage. His C1 will also help the execution of his C5
slightly. If the timing is perfect, Cao Pi has a very high chance to freeze
officers. Out of the two chances, you only need one to be successful. The
chance of failure is 0.40^2 which is 0.16. This mean's he has an 84% on
average to freeze officers if he does this C1 and C5 combo.
Once isolated, generals can be quickly killed with his jump charge.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
8.35 - Sun Quan
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"I shall show no mercy"
Sun Quan is one of characters that don't have any life or defense bonuses on
his weapon, so there is very little room for error. One mess-up will likely be
fatal. Even so, His normal attacks have good range, and fighting protectively
isn't such a hard thing to do.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 34
Medium Weight
Fill 15
Bow 15
Attack 16
Musou 18
Charge 17
One of the better 4th weapons, stats-wise. It seems that the only wasted stat
is Bow. Charge helps a bit for Sun Quan's C6, because of its wide attack range.
Sun Quan would be much better without a musou bonus. With the Ginseng equipped,
he would have a high attack, with fill 35. This enables him to do his C3
in a very large range of crowd sizes, and have a filled musou afterwards.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Ginseng
Way of Musou
Ice Orb / Light Orb
First of all, his normal musou does incredible damage. Doing a 7-hit normal
attack combo (all evolution attacks except for the last one), followed by
a full normal musou on a general with full health, will leave the general
in very low health. This is almost a KO in just one quick chain of attacks.
The reason for not completing the full 9 hits is obvious, that the general
will be knocked into the air. But the downfall in his normal
musou is that he will often be left surrounded after it, because of the lack
of range, and no scattering ability of the ending to his musou. On top of that,
the execution time for this attack is also slow enough for generals to block,
which makes it very hard to live after a executing his musou. It's a gamble.
This is why is it a good choice to equip the Way of Musou, even though you will
be dealing half damage. The thunder at the end is very strong, and can be said
to offer ultimate defense after a musou. There is a way to minimize the
chances of the ending of his regular musou to be blocked, by positioning
officers to Sun Quan's right side, because the last strike begins on his
right side, and the strike prior to it, ends on his right side. But with all
this said, doing seven normal attacks before a full regular musou, is never
enough to kill a regular officer from full health. And the fact he can't fit
any more attacks into this combo, still makes him another character
that needs at least two musous to take out officers. With his regular musou,
he'll have to likely use his C6 against officers in crowds either before, or
after this 7-hit + musou combo. This is why Sun Quan should benefit more from
equipping the Way of Musou. Either way, he'll take two musous to kill officers,
and the Way of Musou gives him a very good defense after his musou.
Sadly, his C6 is non-elemental. Since his C6 is his most useful charge attack,
it hard for Sun Quan to benefit from equipping orbs. If you choose the Ice
Orb, then Sun Quan will have a chance at dealing very heavy damage with his
true musou, with the first part dealing double damage, and the last part
dealing half the damage but with fire. The only way to freeze though is
through his C3, is this it not easy to do in large crowds. Although, if his
C3 is done against approaching officers, they will likely walk straight
into it. The only use for the Light Orb is also with his C3. If Sun Quan has a
partially filled musou, and his C3 will fill his musou, then he can go through
his C3, and the ending will guarantee a perfect setup for his true musou.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
There are many attacks that are useful against crowds of peons, but there
isn't much he can do against a general without a full musou bar. This is
because all of his attacks are capable of being either blocked or interrupted,
except for his C3, and this isn't particularly useful because his C3 is
far from an abusable charge attack. Generals will hit him during the execution
time of his C4, and C5, while his C2 and C6, as well as his sixth normal
attack can be blocked. It is possible if you have his back facing officers
when executing his C6. This takes a bit of practise to pull off because it's
somewhat easy to miss. The goal of course is to position things correctly
to allow his C6 to execute as soon as possible by having officers to his
right side, almost behind him. A solution to these disadvantages is to
purposely stop attacking after a normal attack with wide range (probably his
third or fifth normal attack), and either attempt to counterattack, block, or
do a quick jump attack. Keep in mind that the jump attack also has bad range.
This is only useful when facing officers in one on one combat or in small
crowds. Since no charge attack will serve as a consistent finishing move,
Sun Quan is forced to stop after his normal attacks and decide to do something
else.
Crowd clearing should be no problem at all; use combinations of his C4,
C5, and C6. His C6 does not activate elemental orbs, but is a very good
move for musou filling. The range covered is excellent; the scattering
power is excellent. Since his C6 has such awesome scattering ability,
it is a very good idea to greet a large crowd with it. If a general is
approaching along with a massive crowd, try to use his C6 instead of
just unleashing his true musou. His C6 will likely scatter the entire crowd
(depending on how large of a crowd it is). So why would you want to do this
instead of his musou? This is because of the fact that it takes longer for
peons to get up from the ground than generals. This minor tip is useful to
deal less damage against peons with his true musou, since it will take two
musous to kill officers, he'll need the peons to survive (again depending
on the crowd size) for easier musou filling afterwards. But generally,
his C6 should be used for crowd clearing, above all other charge attacks,
because it is the safest. Because it is such an ideal scattering attack,
always try to have peons between officers and him. This will maximize the
safety of this musou filling method.
His C5 is very useful for fighting at a distance. The reach is
similar to Zhao Yun's C5. Because of this reach, it is capable of
hitting generals from behind when they are blocking. The caution is that the
execution time is quite long. And well, the usefulness of this charge attack
is limited because its attack range even with its long reach is only in
front of Sun Quan.
Use his C1 to get generals off their horses. Depending on the
situation, it may be useful to use his C1 right after his C5. Doing this will
launch the enemies into the air once more, to keep the fire burning a bit
longer. If an officer is at the very front of an approaching crowd, it will
be hard to use his C6 safely for musou filling. Use his C1, and time it
properly. His C1 should be able to hit with 100% consistency. After this his
C6 will be much safer.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________
8.36 - Cao Cao
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"My ambition cannot be stopped"
I would have liked to see Cao Cao higher in the tier list, just because of
his reputation, but it really can't be helped. His safe normal attacks are
very good for musou filling, but none of his charge attacks are abusable,
and musou filling with his normal attacks means many forced, and wasted musous.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 34
Medium Weight
Charge 17
Bow 15
Life 17
Horse 17
Attack 17
Mediocre weapon for Cao's moveset. A short musou is good for a good defense.
If only he had a fill bonus on his 4th weapon. Cao Cao when configured with
fill 40, in section 10, his short C3 will often fill his musou. But he'll
have to live with only the fill from the Ginseng. Charge helps for his C5,
and his C6.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Ginseng
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
Everything should be quite self-explanitory. Give him the Ice Orb for
double musou damage. His C5 is very good at freezing officers, and his
C6 even better, but works only in small crowds.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
As I've mentioned above, Cao Cao has a very protective normal attack
string. His reach is very dependable, and his range is excellent. Ranked as
one of the highest damaging characters in the game, his offense is a product of
both his damaging attacks, and his fast attacking speed. If the crowds are
not too large, just like Guan Yu, Cao Cao is able to purposely
stop after his fifth normal attack and resume attacking, because of the
excellent range covered, and the fast recovery time. The same thing applies
for his third evolution attack. Stopping after this attack is likely a better
choice than his fifth normal attack. This allows him to take care of smaller
crowd sizes easily. It seems to work perfectly, since crowds that can't fill
his short musou, are small enough for his normal attacks to take care of
easily. Any larger crowd sizes will give him a filled musou.
Cao Cao's C3 is not bad. Although I would evaluate it to be
very inferior to his normal attacks because of the lack of strength. Because of
the way he zigzags, it is often very safe to do his C3, even in
large crowds, but it's not as safe as his normal attacks. Stick to his
normal attacks for better performance in crowd clearing. The reasons to use his
C3 are for an easy way to freeze a general with the Ice Orb. Cao Cao with
a fill 40 configuration makes his C3 much more useful in crowds, because
one short C3 will easily fill his musou. The difference of an extra fill 20
is huge, enough to change to Cao Cao's offense to place him a lot higher in
the tier list. Since doing a short C3 is very safe, and will fill his musou
in a pretty large range of crowd sizes, Cao has a very safe way of freezing
officers in crowds. And in Xtreme Legends, this means almost a guaranteed
60% chance to kill officers in just one musou, with a short musou bar.
But without this extra fill 20, his next best method for freezing officers
in crowds is with his C5, and his C5 is quite risky. Cao Cao's
defense is very good, but what he lacks is a good offense. Sure his, normal
attacks will fill his musou easily, but he will often be forced to waste his
musou after his fifth normal attack, if crowds are too large. And it's hard
to guarantee that officers are caught within his normal attacks. If officers
are blocking in large crowds, his offense is a very slow one. Cao Cao's offense
in massive and continuous crowds, is a lot of forced musous.
His C4 itself is very good; but because of the lack of range
covered by his third normal attack, its effectiveness is greatly diminished.
It's not a bad move altogether, as the range covered in nicely horizontal,
but its long recovery time makes it impractical to do without a filled musou.
Evaluating his C4 by valuing whether Cao Cao needs a scattering
move or not... I would say not. I believe Cao Cao has the ability to take on
any crowd size, without resorting to scatter crowds.
Cao Cao's C5 is likely his most useful charge attack. The range
it covers is very good, but keep in mind that it's not a full 360 degree
coverage, like Cao Pi's. The execution time could be better, since it is long
enough to allow generals to interrupt it by attacking him. Generals would
usually do a quick jump attack to stop it. This can however, be prevented. If
you make good use of the near-horizontal range of his fourth normal attack; you
can slide slightly left to create as much distance as possible from him and the
general to minimize the time between his fourth normal attack and C5. Doing
this accomplishes two things: it creates enough safety distance from the
officer (regardless of blocking actually) and lets his fourth normal attack
hit the officer at the very end of it. Because you have to do this to ensure
that it hits successfully, it is a huge limitation. Lastly, keep in mind that
his C5 has a slight hop to it, so if he is hit at the right time, he will be
swept of his feet.
The closest thing to his C6 is Guan Ping's C4. These types
of charge attacks can be incredibly useful, as they can be executed many times.
Since all five parts of Cao Cao's C6 are charge attacks, they each
deal heavy damage and activate the orb equipped. This is the reason why it is
useful to equip the Ice Orb (or Light Orb) on Cao Cao. If we assume that the
freezing probability is 60%, Cao Cao has a very very high chance of
freezing officers with his C6, because all you need is one of the five
chances to be a success. Since the probability is roughly 60%, it's a higher
chance than hoping to get one head out of five tosses. Please refer to
the Ice Orb Probability section in section 6. But in the end, his C6
is limited to small crowds only, and limited to blocking officers, because
it has a very long execution time. Since it can't be used against officers,
when they aren't blocking, the more ideal probability is more like expecting
to freeze once out of about three chances, if he has to use the first two
strikes to get behind the blocking officer. It still is a high freezing chance,
but his C6 is useless in most situations. Configure him with a light weapon
for a much faster execution time, and faster strikes, and with the Light Orb,
he can be pretty incredible. Perhaps a light weapon with attack, charge,
fill and no musou would be most ideal. This is even more useful in Xtreme
Legends where the flinching time is extended.
It is always an advantage to use his C1 before entering large
crowds. It will help a little bit for safe execution of his C5.
Use his C3 in musou rages. The attacking speed is ridiculously fast. With
high musou filling ability, Cao Cao's guaranteed a chance to freeze officers.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
8.37 - Dong Zhuo
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"I'll cut you to pieces"
Just like Sun Quan, Dong Zhuo's musou is very powerful. But unlike all
the other similar five sword characters, Dong Zhuo's charge attacks aren't
very useful in Chaos.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 36
Medium Weight
Luck 17
Horse 17
Defense 15
Attack 18
Life 15
Well having high attack and a short musou is very good for Dong Zhuo.
If only fill was also on it....
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Ginseng
Way of Musou
Fire Orb/Ice Orb
A fill 40 setup for Dong Zhuo would have been very nice. But still, with
the Ginseng, his filling potential is decent. The Way of Musou is useful
for both offensive and defensive reasons. The ending of his regular musou
may be bad against multiple officers, if the ending of it gets blocked.
Since Dong Zhuo's charge attacks are so poor, no particular orb will
help him very much. Unlike Sun Quan, Dong Zhuo's charge attacks lack
versatility. The obvious one that is somewhat useful is his C6. The others
shouldn't really be used often at all. If we evaluate the two orb choices
fire and ice with this charge attack, it would seem that neither would be
useful. The fire won't last very long. The ice if it works, will negate the
fire damage caused by his true musou. Ice is nice to halt officers, and
other characters with grounded musous like Yuan Shao, can sneak in a few
normal attacks and execute a true musou just before the ice thaws, to make
the most of the situation. But just like Liu Bei, Dong Zhuo can't make much
use of this strategy, because his C6 has long recovery time, so he might be
forced to use his musou after it.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Since Dong Zhuo lacks a good charge attacks, he needs a different way to
musou fill defensively. His jump charge can be thought of as a finishing move
to almost any normal attack, although it is most practical to use it after his
third normal attack. So the solution to Dong Zhuo's useless charge attacks, is
simply to replace them with his jump charge. While it can be done after any
normal attack of Dong Zhuo's, the third attack is likely the best one,
because it has very nice horizontal range, and fast recovery time.
This will allow you to do his jump charge quite easily directly after. It's
also very nice how his first three normal attacks have very horizontal
range. There is however, some risk in getting hit when using his jump charge,
just as he lands, and this of course, will allow the enemy to juggle him. But
this is quite minor. It is because of this, and the possibility that he will
not end up with a filled musou after his jump charge in smaller crowd
sizes, that places him in this tier. The nice thing about his 4th weapon is
the very high attack. Since his first three normal attacks have good
horizontal range, and good reach, it is very easy to fill his musou gauge.
Also, his short musou bar, and the Ginseng, of course, contribute to easy
musou filling. Once you've learn just how easy it is to fill his musou, you
will get a good idea of how large of a crowd, will fill his musou bar with
just his first three normal attacks. Thus, this specific crowd size is the
limiting size for when to not use his jump charge. However, this also means
that the crowd size is quite large and dense, which means he'll probably
have to force his musou after his third normal attack. Once crowd sizes get
too large, the chance of getting hit when doing his jump charge gets quite
high. He'll have to resort to his normal attacks and his powerful grounded
musou for crowd clearing in these cases.
I try to stick with using his C1 to get generals of their horses, but something
else that makes his C1 useful, is to stall an officer when in the lead of
an approaching crowd. This is effective, if Dong Zhuo has a partially filled
musou, or if the crowd is very large or dense. If doing his normal attacks
after his C1, will fill his musou, then when the officer gets up, it's a
very perfect setup for his musou. And of course, the basic usefulness of
this type of weak ground stomping C1, will work well against scattered crowds,
but Dong Zhuo won't need to use it to buy time, or enable crowds to gather
in for easier musou filling, as bad as Sun Ce needs to.
Some comments on the rest of his charge attacks:
C2: like many characters, his C2 isn't of much use. On top of that, he hops.
C3: not a bad charge attack for one-on-one combat. His C3 is a good idea if
you are duelling an officer without a filled musou
C4: Scattering attack with poor reach and range. For Dong Zhuo, what you
really want are large crowds sizes clustered together and coming from
one direction. You should ever need to scatter the enemy.
C5: Poor reach and range. His C5 is just like Zhou Tai's C5. There is no real
way to ensure 100% success; sometimes the charge attack will
successfully hit, sometimes will be blocked, and sometimes you will
get hit.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_____________
8.38 - Xu Zhu
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"Look out below"
While it may seem like Xu Zhu has the weakest normal attacking strength...he
is the third weakest. His 4th weapon has a base attack of 38. The three
light weapon wielders who do not have an extra attack bonus on their weapon,
are Sun Jian, Huang Zhong, Xu Zhu, with respective base attacks of 34, 36, 38.
Xu Zhu does however have the slowest (not the worst but slowest) offensive
potential. The small differences in the power ratings are pretty negligible.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 38
Light Weight
Fill 17
Bow 19
Life 20
Luck 15
Defense 19
Like many of the lower tier characters, Xu Zhu's moveset is much better with
a completely different weapon. Even though his attacking speed is slow, his
medium weight attacking speed is just as safe as his light attacking speed,
because his reach is decent, and his normal attacks have very protective range.
But even without attack on his 4th weapon, his filling potential is still
very good, with gives Xu Zhu quite a good defense. High fill with a short musou
is the only good thing that his 4th weapon gives him.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Way of Musou
Demon Band
Fire Orb
The Demon Band is a very good choice for Xu Zhu because of his incredibly
slow offense against officers in crowds. It isn't absolutely needed; Xu Zhu
can still be quite effective in musou rage combat without the extended 15
seconds, but it's still useful for him. Thanks to his 4th weapon Xu Zhu doesn't
need to have the Ginseng equipped. If the goal is to have a filled musou
after his C4, his most useful charge attack, then he will not need the Ginseng.
The crowd size it takes to fill his musou is somewhere between 5 and 10. And
facing a peon crowd of five should be effortless.
I really like the Fire Orb on Xu Zhu. When facing officers in massive crowds,
his C4 is often his only move. The fire damage is a lot with when his C4 is
used because officers are hit high into the air and far. The Ice Orb will still
give him double musou damage, but the increase isn't very much because of his
weak attack. Xu Zhu's musou is hard to juggle with, but there are ways
around it, so ice isn't really necessary for this either.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
First, I should point out that Xu Zhu is one of the only characters that I
would ever recommend giving a 3rd weapon to instead. This is mainly because
of the fact that his 4th weapon is of light weight and has no extra attack
bonus. On top of that, his attacking speed is still not fast enough to be
satisfying. Xu Zhu, no matter how well he is used, is consistently the slowest
offensive character in the game. His crowd clearing ability isn't that bad,
but his ability to kill generals, takes a long time compared to all of the
other characters in the game. Another thing to really complain about his 4th
weapon is the lack of useful bonuses; Fill seems the be the only useful bonus
for him. Lastly, his ability to perform in musou rage isn't too great either.
For these reasons, it is probably a good idea to give him a stacked 3rd weapon
of medium or light weight. This choice sacrifices those free musou rage tokens
dropped per 100 KO's, for a much more damaging attack. Here is a numerical
presentation of validating the choice of giving Xu Zhu a 3rd weapon.
(this was my example in the weapon weight section) If you do not know already,
I have derived a formula for approximating attacking strengths. The formula
can be found in section 14.
________________________________________________________________________
Weapon Number 4th 3rd
Weapon Weight Light Medium
Weapon Power +38 +16
Weapon ATK Bonus +0 +20
Maxed ATK Value +40 +40
Tiger Amulet +20 +20
Green Scroll x1.5 x1.5
Weight Multiplier x1.0 x1.25
Damage Calculation [(38/10)+40+20]*1.5 [(16/10)+40+20+20]*1.25*1.5
Resulting Damage 95.7 153.0
________________________________________________________________________
So equipping Xu Zhu with a medium 3rd weapon with an attack bonus of +20
will be quite noticeably stronger (about 1.5 times stronger) than his 4th
weapon. This value of 1.5 times stronger is indeed realistic and very close to
actual results. If you can get a good medium 3rd weapon (likely by the
internal time trick), it is probably well worth sacrificing attacking speed and
all the musou rages that you would normally get with a 4th weapon.
It's like a free Green Scroll without an that extra decrease in defense.
My ideal weapon for Xu Zhu would be:
ATK FILL CHARGE MUSOU (SPD) or (LIFE or DEF)
Because of the much higher attack his filling ability should be a bit better.
His item configuration will have to change, with his fifth slot being Ginseng
for a very high fill. This will allow him to have a longer musou bar.
If you want to compare instead, a stacked light 3rd weapon, the calculation
is the same, just that you would have to take out the weight multiplier in the
formula. Anyway, have fun with this!
The only quality of Xu Zhu that is worth praising is his normal attack string.
The protection that it offers is very useful. It is not the best attack string
in the game, but one of the safest. The fact that Xu Zhu still attacks
kind of slowly with a light weapon, allows him to still easy get hit when
facing large crowds.
Without a fully charged musou, the best way for crowd clearing is his C4.
This is because you really don't want to go any further, if he doesn't
have a charged musou. Other than his C4, there is not another safe
way to end his attack. Ending his attacks in any other way than his C4,
without a charged musou, is like suicide. Always turn away from officers
when using his C4 to minimize the execution time. Doing this, his C4 will
always connect; launching an officer on fire will deplete some good amount of
health. All you have to keep in mind for Xu Zhu's defense is not to do his
C4 in too small of a crowd. It might seem hard to survive easily with Xu Zhu's
C4 because it scatters crowds, and he'll end up facing crowds that aren't
clustered together. The idea is to refrain from attacking, until he can pull
off his C4 with a filled musou afterwards. Normally other characters like Sun
Ce would have to lead crowds for a bit with running. Xu Zhu isn't capable of
running fast, but his jump attack is a solution to all the defensive problems
that his slow running speed presents. His jump attack is pretty much a very
fast 360 degree attack. Probably not 360, but quite close. There are so many
defensive choices he can make with combinations of his C1, jump attack, and
running attack. Xu Zhu when mastered, should have a very very good defense.
A second method for offense could be just his normal attacks, with his true
musou as a finishing move. Since his normal attacks cover good attack range,
this is easy to do. However, this method is less effective and less defensive
than his C4. Also, this method works in larger crowd sizes only. The only
crowd size caution with his normal attacks is kind of an "in between" crowd
size. Small crowds are no problem, even if his normal attacks won't fill his
musou, because he has reliable recovery after his fourth normal attack, so it's
easy to abuse this in small crowds. Larger crowds will make this method work.
It's just a small range of crowd sizes that is in between, where his C4 is
his only move. This method has it's advantages and disadvantages. With his
C4 as an offense, he'll either hit officers with it, hit peons into officers,
or have an officer block it. Either way, it's a safe offense. However,
with this method, if an officer blocks his true musou, then it may be tough to
get out. This is a defensive disadvantage with this method. But if officers
aren't blocking (which is kind of hard to come by), it's best to take this
opportunity to deal as much damage as possible with his true musou.
It's not easy to juggle officers with his musou. There are probably a good
few ways to do it, but here's mine: The problem with juggling officers with
his musou seems to be near the beginning. If you rotate in the counterclockwise
direction, to maximize the frequency of the musou strikes, to begin with,
the officer will be able to be hit to the preferred height. Now, continuing
in this counterclockwise direction makes his musou strikes too frequent,
and officers will always end up dropping to the ground. The trick is to
make only one revolution going in the counterclockwise direction, and then
resume to juggling the officer in a straight line path with the officer
positioned right in front of Xu Zhu.
And that's it. As far as offense goes, that is pretty much all you can do
against large crowds, and fighting generals in large crowds. All of his other
moves are useless.
His C3 is very strong, but useful for only 1-on-1 combat. His C5 is also
very useful in 1-on-1 combat, but only against blocking officers. It's another
hard to control C5 like Xu Huang's, in that you have to pinpoint the small
attack range to hit successfully. This is the only way to juggle officers
with fire.
Since his jump attack is so useful for repelling the enemy when surrounded,
it is much better than his C1. Use his C1 whenever you
see it to be useful. Something that is C1 will allow him to do, is set up
for his true musou. This is very useful for Xu Zhu because he is too slow
to walk and get behind officers to do a musou, without the officer blocking.
Lastly, his running attack, is a good move to do for escaping crowds quickly.
But sadly, this can only be done after taking 6 steps.
There's not much that can be said on his C2 and C6. Don't use
them. His C2 like many others isn't useful. His C6 is only
safe to use for entering large crowds, but there is always a good chance of
getting hit during the landing. This would create a chance for enemy juggling.
The same thing can be said about his jump charge.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
__________________
8.39 - Xiahou Yuan
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"This is gonna hurt"
Another one of those characters who are very good fighting at a distance.
Very similar to Huang Zhong, yet very different. His C1 is shooting
volleys of arrows, and his first three normal attacks are identical to Huang
Zhong's (and of course, Gan Ning's), just slower because of the weapon weight.
His C5, like Huang Zhong's, is capable of hitting generals
regardless of whether they're blocking or not. However, since Xiahou Yuan has
no way of abusing his distanced attacks, his defense is no where near as good
as Huang Zhong's. Check out his speed 40 configuration in section 10. With
the right equipment, his archery can be abused with perfect defense.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 36
Medium Weight
Charge 16
Attack 16
Life 17
Bow 19
Musou 17
Another bad weapon. If you read his analysis in section 10, you'll see why.
Having no fill with a long musou bar says enough already.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Fire Arrows
Speed Scroll
Ginseng/Way of Musou
Ice Orb
The exclusion of the Huang's Bow is because his distaced combat can't be
abused...or can't be abused continuously enough to make it worthwhile. Afterall,
even if it could be abused, he's gaining very little extra bow
damage. Speed 40 configuration to be able to run fast enough to
abuse his C1 to no end is very important, however, speed 20 is enough, but
he will have to walk for a very long time. He's still quite ok without very
high speed, but speed 40 configuration allows for an offense that is much
faster. It is then, when the Ice Arrows can be made useful and the Wind Scroll
can be omitted for devotion to archery offense. (refer to Xiahou Yuan's
analysis with full customization in section 10)
With the shockwave ending of his true musou, C1
archery, and a somewhat distanced jump charge, there are lots of
possibilities for Xiahou Yuan before he has to resort to his risky close
combat. His close combat wouldn't really be risky if he had a short musou and
high fill. This just means that he has to be played with a lot of skill,
and a lot of running. Refer to Xiahou Jia's theory of the "Damage-Free Zone"
in Section 6, for an explanation of how to use Xiahou Yuan safely.
The main idea is to run away from pursuing crowds with the camera angle
positioned in a way where all enemies are not on the screen, but still obviously
on the map. There are two good reasons for this: After peons appear off-screen,
he needs only to run a bit more before his C1 execution is safe. In massive
crowds, he would have to run a bit more because of a pushing effect, or
unwanted displacement. And having a long musou bar with no fill isn't very
helpful. This is why Xiahou Yuan is very hard to use in massive crowds.
Equip the Ice Orb for Xiahou Yuan. His C5 can hit officers when they are
blocking, and when iced, his musou does massive damage. Attempting to
freeze officers with his C3 or C6 is also a good choice. But obviously,
without the Wind Scroll equipped, these offensive methods are only safe
when officers are isolated, or in small crowds.
On a side note, Xiahou Yuan is one of only characters who would be suitable
with the Shadow Orb, and the reason is because of his C6. Like Sun Shang Xiang's
C6, the orb activates at the very beginning of Xiahou Yuan's C6. Like Sun
Shang Xiang, Xiahou Yuan's C6 has fast attacking speed, and very good reach and
range. Since the Shadow Orb would be activated at the very beginning of his C6,
the rest of his C6 strikes would resume to filling his musou gauge. And much
like Sun Shang Xiang, Xiahou Yuan's C6 has the scattering effect. The major
difference is that Xiahou Yuan lacks the walking speed to run to a safe place
in the case that his musou gauge doesn't refill completely. The Ice Orb, or
even the Fire Orb is still the most useful and practical, but the Shadow Orb
is possibility.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
As discussed above, Xiahou Yuan's safest offense is to abuse his archery.
The power of each volleyshot of arrows is stronger than Huang Zhong's because
Xiahou Yuan has a much stronger attack, with a medium weight weapon and
attack on it. The disorientation of the last volley minimizes the chances of
enemies hitting him during the recovery time. But it might be more of
a disadvantage, because it's not piercing. Only the front line of an approaching
crowd will get hit with this. This is why it is important to learn to
purposely skip the ending of his C1. Then, his C1 is very similar to Huang
Zhong's. Once enemies get too close to safely pull off
his C1, his jump charge may be a great choice. This move should be used if it
is safe enough to use it. This ground-pounding move, unlike Sun Ce's,
has quite good reach, but only in front of him. However, like Sima Yi's
jump charge, it doesn't work when enemies are too close.
His C6 is very useful as a finishing move after his normal attack. It's
mediocre for damaging crowds, but the execution and recovery times are very
good, and the attack range is awesome. It's very important to master his
C6, by learning whether or not to execute the last strike, and applying it
the current situation. Normally the final strike is preferred, but keep in mind
that if you purposely stop just before it, his recovery will be much faster.
When crowds are dense, the last strike should be executed. But in situations
when scattering the enemy isn't needed, he's better off stopping his C6 before
the last strike. The most important situation to not execute his full C6
is when a blocking officer is right in front of him. The recovery time will
either force him to use his musou, or allow the officer to hit him. But
obviously, his C6, as well as any other close combat methods can't be
made useful (unless he is greeting crowds with them), without the Wind Scroll
equipped. But even with the Wind Scroll equipped, Xiahou Yuan's normal
attacks aren't safe enough, at least not as safe as his distance combat methods.
A small tip for melee combat for those who are good at countering, is
purposely stopping after his second normal attack. This strategy can be
explained exactly like Guan Yu's. Since his second normal attack has good
reach, and 180 degree horizontal range, it is easy to foresee a chance to
execute a counterattack, or just simply attacking again if crowds aren't
too large. If you are good at counterattacking, Xiahou Yuan can be played
much more effectively.
Try to hit blocking officers with his C5. His C5, like Huang Zhong's, is fast
enough that generals can't interrupt it; it is possible to hit generals when
they are blocking if he is attacking close enough to them. This means that his
C5 makes generals virtually vulnerable against him if he's are fighting close
enough to them. If only his normal attacks were safer.
His C3 isn't safe enough to execute in large crowds. It's only useful for
freezing officers when not blocking, but limited to small crowds only.
His C3 itself is very useful, because of the way his strikes work. But they
will only prove useful once he gets a better weapon, with a short musou bar
and very high fill. If you give him the Wind Scroll, his first two normal
attacks are very horizontal, and then, his C3 strikes alternate from left to
right making it very safe to do a shortened C3. And in Xtreme Legends, it
only gets safer with the extended flinching time. Using his C3 with the right
weapon and items equipped, he has a much faster offense. But, we'll
stick to his 4th weapon for now, in this analysis.
The only situation that is difficult to fight in is when groups of enemies
are continuously coming from all directions. Massive crowds in Yellow Turban
Rebellion, may require Xiahou Yuan to do quite a lot of running.
That just about covers the strategies for Xiahou Yuan. Be keen on the timing
with his archery, and learn to ignore his C1 ending.
The two archer characters of the game Xiahou Yuan and Huang Zhong both have
the very unique property of using their bow attack during the execution of
certain charge attacks. Xiahou Yuan and Huang Zhong can both pull out their
bows at any time during their C2's. This property can help in a few
ways. First, it can be considered a cancellation of the charge attack the L1
button is pressed during the execution time. Secondly, it is possible to shoot
an arrow at an airbourne enemy directly after hitting him/her up with their
C2's. Going further with this, it is possible to juggle a general in
the air with arrows (doing musou when holding L1) after doing their C2's.
Obviously, in Chaos mode, these interesting properties can't really be put to
any good use. The point is just to tell you an interesting fact about these
two characters. Also, Xiahou Yuan is capable of doing this with only his
C2, while Huang Zhong can do it with his C2 and C5.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
8.40 - Sun Jian
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"Fear the Tiger of Jiang Dong"
Perhaps the best example of a downgraded character because of the light weapon.
Since his 4th weapon has a base attack of only 34, and no extra attack
bonus, Sun Jian has the weakest normal attacking strength in the game.
The three light weapon wielders who do not have an extra attack bonus on their
weapon, are Sun Jian, Huang Zhong, Xu Zhu, with respective base attacks of
34, 36, 38.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 34
Light Weight
Fill 18
Defense 16
Horse 16
Musou 15
Life 15
It shouldn't be hard to see that this weapon is a terrible one for Sun Jian's
moveset. It's not that Sun Jian completely sucks now, it's just that with
the right weapon, he can be so much better. With a fill 40 configuration, his
first four normal attacks are often enough to fill his musou if he has a short
musou, and if the weapon is medium weight, then he'll be in the 2-musou-KO per
officer tier. With such high fill, his defense is very good too. This would
easily compare him to Guan Yu, or Xiahou Dun, etc.
This weapon isn't completely garbage though. Even though it does have a musou
bonus with a very weak attack, it still has a fill bonus, and quite a high
one too. Horse is neglected for this guide. Since there's almost no way to
avoid getting hit with this weapon, unless you're a counterattacking expert,
Life and Defense help him a lot. But they help only to let him survive a bit
longer. Defensive stats don't actually help his moveset very much defensively.
There is one good think about being a tank though; Sun Jian's walking speed
is fast enough to run from crowds, and with such high defense, he has a
relatively higher chance of safely getting into red health. But because
the ending of his true musou can sometimes be blocked by officers, Sun Jian
doesn't really have a red health strategy.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Ginseng
Herbal Remedy
Light Orb
With the Ginseng, Sun Jian will have a total of fill 38. This is quite a high
musou fill. But since his attack strength is so weak, his 360 degree C5
doesn't always guarantee a filled musou. The Herbal Remedy will help a lot
to contribute to musou filling, when his C5 is used. The omission of the
Way of Musou is because officers tend to block the ending of it. There are
ways to minimize it, but it's not fully consistent. The same thing happens with
his regular musou, but since the ending of his regular musou can be used
for escaping purposes, it's much more defensive than his true musou. However,
the choice is up to you; equipping the Way of Musou as a fifth item is not
too bad of an idea, because with his weak 4th weapon, the extra fire damage
with his long musou can be very useful.
It doesn't matter what orb you give him. It's easy to hit blocking officers
with his C5, so the Light Orb isn't really going to help much. Light will help
in a way, to make his C5 more flexible, so that you don't always have to
calculate the correct distance to make it unblockable. I value this freedom
to use his C5 against blocking officers with perfect consistency, over any of
the benefits from the Fire Orb and Ice Orb. Sun Jian's gains nothing from
the Fire Orb. Hitting officers with his C4, or C6 with fire is very hard to
do, without wasting his musou afterwards for defense. The main reason why
it's so hard to do this is because both have long execution times. With the
Ice Orb, the only useful method of freezing is with his C3, but there's really
no need to freeze officers at all. He has only a 60% of success, and if he
fails, he'll be juggling with his musou, because like his other charge
attacks, the recovery is usually not safe.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
It shouldn't be too hard to realize that his only useful charge attack is his
C5. It has nice 360 range. But even though the recovery time is
decently fast, his C5 doesn't cover quite enough reach to be
consistently safe. Although it has 360 range, it is still very easy to get hit
after it. The most dangerous crowd size to fight in with Sun Jian, are
crowds of moderate size. A size that is too large to safely recover from his
C5, but small enough to not contribute enough to fill his musou completely.
The worst thing is, that there is a large range of crowd sizes that fit this
description. Knowing that Sun Jian's C5 is likely his most useful,
there is still this big flaw in it, and this flaw is caused by his weak light
4th weapon. In some cases, the timing is perfect for a counterattack
directly after his C5, but this happens seldomly. The best situation
to fight officers in are in massive crowds. The good thing about his weapon
being light, is that his C5 can almost always be executed without
getting hit, even in massive crowds. And in massive crowds, it's almost
guaranteed that his musou will be filled. So, officers can easily be defeated
with only his musou. But just imagine if his 4th weapon were to be of
medium weight. If his attacking speed were the same as the other four
similar sword wielders, Sun Quan, Liu Bei, Dong Zhuo, and Yuan Shao, it still
wouldn't be very hard to do his C5 without getting hit. Sun Jian's
first four normal attacks all have nearly horizontal range. If Sun Jian had
a medium 4th weapon, with attack, fill, charge, and no musou, he would be
ranked the highest among the five sword wielders. With full weapon
customization, Sun Jian and Liu Bei are the best of the five similar sword
characters.
To minimize the risks of his C5 recovery, if crowds aren't clustered together,
it may be useful to run around and lead the crowds for a bit, until they
get closer together.
As mentioned above, doing a 7-hit normal attack + full musou combo will deal
the most damage in one continuous combo. Obviously, the damage is no where near
as effective as the other four sword users. However, because of his 4th
weapon being light, it's much easier to do the first 7 hits without getting
hit in surrounding crowds. This is perhaps the only good thing about his
light weapon. It's probably best not to use his full musou, for defensive
purposes. Try to work at gradually depleting an officer's health, in large
crowds with his C5 and short musous. After a few runs, the officer should
have a health that is low enough for Sun Jian to do this 7-hit normal attack +
full musou combo.
His fourth normal attack has very wide horizontal range. Even though its reach
isn't that great, the recovery is quite fast. Stopping after his fourth
normal attack might be a good choice in smaller crowd sizes. It should be
safe enough to purposely stop, and start attacking again. This eliminates
the risky recovery of his C5. But then...in smaller crowd sizes, anything
that his first four normal attacks will work against, his C5 should work
just as well, with very little risks. Anyhow, this is still very useful to
know. It's not abusable, but the usefulness of his first four normal attacks
can be seen in Xtreme Legends, because of the extended flinching time.
I've mentioned that the ending of his true musou can easily be blocked
by generals. Actually, the same is with his regular musou. Generals are
normally able to block the ending of his regular musou. but it's much safer
than his true musou, because in the case that it does get blocked, the ending
of his regular musou can be used for escaping. Because of the good distance
covered, he is usually safe after executing his regular musou.
Sun Jian has quite an ideal counterattack, because it has good range, and the
execution and recovery are both very fast. If you are good at counterattacking,
Sun Jian may not be as challenging as he seems to be. Purposely stopping after
his third or fourth normal attacks is a good opportunity to try to
counterattack. The same thing can be said for the identical evolution attacks.
His C1 is a useful scattering attack, but the recovery is quite long.
It is usually not safe enough to pull it off. You will be hit into the air
if you get hit during his air charge, and thus be juggled by the enemy.
His C3 is similar to Liu Bei's and Yuan Shao's, in terms of
attack range only. His C3 is much less useful because it has
a much longer recovery time.
His C4 obviously doesn't have enough range to be useful. His
C1 and C6 are more effective scattering moves.
While his C6 covers much more range, it is still only safe to use
against dense crowds coming from only one direction.
Not much more can be said. Because of the weakness in his most useful charge
attack, his fourth charge, it is usually not a good idea to use his full musou,
which is a really big disadvantage. Try to keep a full musou bar, and abuse his
C5, and do a quick musou to save yourself after his C5
if it is dangerous. Doing a quick musou will make it easier to refill his
musou. This is the safest way for using Sun Jian, but his offense is very
slow.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
8.41 - Zhu Rong
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"Burn Baby Burn"
The tier list FAQ has Zhu Rong ranked very highly. According to their set
definitions, I would agree it to be so. She does have a versatile set of charge
attacks, and an incredible musou. Her musou with the Green Scroll will likely
kill generals in one go. But since the enemy's defense is tougher in Chaos,
it will take more than one musou to kill a general. It's very agreeable that
Zhu Rong has very exceptional offensive ability, but her defense potential
when attacking is relatively poor. It is because defense isn't much of a
concern in Hard Mode, that she is rated so highly.
All of her useful charge attacks have long execution time too, so there is
no real abusable move, or method of offense.
Her short reach, mediocre attacking strength, and slow attacking speed, make
her a terrible offensive and defensive character when fighting without her
musou.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 34
Medium Weight
Charge 16
Fill 17
Bow 15
Defense 15
Musou 18
A short musou would have made her more defensive, like Zhen Ji.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Ginseng
Speed Scroll/Way of Musou
Light Orb
Although she has a relatively weaker attack and a long musou bar, she has
high fill. Her short reach still makes her a very low tier character in Chaos,
but her filling ability, and her charge attacks, are better than Sun Ce's.
No fill and a long musou bar, like Sun Ce, is the worst possible setup for
any character with short reach and no distanced combat skills. Zhu Rong's
musou is by far better than Sun Ce's too. Since she has such a long musou bar
the Way of Musou is handy for the extra fire damage. But the way the damage
works, she'll take two musous to kill an officer, whether it's true musou or
not. This is indeed less important for a character like Zhu Rong though
because she doesn't have a consistent musou filling phase. Characters like
Xiahou Dun when played to the best would be musou filling with his C3, and
the two musous per officer, and the consistency is pretty high. This is almost
not possible with Zhu Rong. Thus, the advantage of having a true musou
accessible at all times is very little. When Zhu Rong needs to musou fill,
she'll be dealing some damage to officers anyway, during the process, so
equipping the Way of Musou, the fire damage isn't wasted. The Speed Scroll
makes her C3 much easier to do against pursuing crowds, because she is able to
run fast enough. But even without the Speed Scroll, she can still use her
C3 quite safely. The Speed Scroll will only make it a lot easier. Also, her
default walking speed is slow enough to get hit in a lot of cases. Giving
her the Speed Scroll will almost eliminate this danger. Either way, both
items don't have any huge benefits. I like the Speed Scroll a lot more though,
because her safe C3 method of attacking is very valuable, and the Speed
Scroll, is the best defensive choice.
The Light Orb is very useful to set up for her musou. Zhu Rong's musou is
similar Zhang He's, in that when enemies are stunned or disoriented, they will
still be on the ground, during her musou. This is quite valuable. If you
choose not to give Zhu Rong the Way of Musou, the Fire Orb can be a good choice,
but she is very limited with her C3, because she will have to use her C3
often with her first two normal attacks. This obviously makes her C3 risky
because she'll often be surrounded by the time she's executing her C3. The fact
that she hops during the execution doesn't help too. What the Light Orb does
is give her flexibility with the C3.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Something nice about Zhu Rong's musou is the piercing effect (which was not
present in previous Dynasty Warriors installments) and the good reach. It
is however, not a 360 degree musou. The range of her musou is pretty close
to Zhou Tai's, and covers over 180 degrees. The reach of her musou is longer
than Zhou Tai's.
It's a pity that her third normal attack has poor range. Her C4
would be much more useful if she had a better third normal attack. Her C4
itself is very useful, with the double 360 degree attack. After the
charge attack ends, the recovery is quite fast. Her C4 is good for
scattering massive crowds, but likely useful only when greeting crowds, or
when not surrounded. In many cases however, the second time her boomerang
circles around her, is usually more of a disadvantage than an advantage.
Because it's a 360 degree attack, the first time 360 revolution will hit all
enemies already. Even though her C4 has fast recovery, it actually doesn't
because the second part can sort of count as a recovery time. Not that she's
vulnerable during the second revolution, but that it's unnecessary, and
wastes a lot of time. Her C4 isn't useful enough to be abused, until
in Xtreme Legends, with a light weapon. Refer to her analysis in the
Full Customization Section, in Section 10.
Her most useful charge attack should be her C3. It is her most defensive
method of attacking. With the Speed Scroll equipped, she can abuse it much
more frequently, and easily. It is quite a slow musou filling method, but
a very defensive one. Her C3 does have limitations though, even though it is
another one of her charge attacks that has fast recovery time. Very similar to
her C4, even though her C3 has fast recovery, on the boomerang's return,
enemies are given lots of time to approach her, even if enemies are only
front of her. This is only dangerous in large crowds though. And there's a
separate solution to that, with her normal attacks. Generally, her C3 works
in smaller crowd sizes, but still a decent range of sizes. The caution with
deciding whether to do a short or long C3, it determined by the hop before
the last boomerang throw. If you had timed her C3 incorrectly, the execution
time of the last throw can be very dangerous. In this situation, it is safer to
do a longer C3, because the execution is much faster, and she doesn't hop.
However, the large the crowd size, the harder it is to do a long C3. Both
methods have pros and cons. But with a short C3 being the most defensive if you
don't mess up the timing, it's the better choice. Just don't mess up.
When facing crowds that may be too dangerous to use even her C3 safely, her
normal attacks should do. Zhu Rong would have been placed higher if she
didn't have a long musou and a weak attack. But even so, her musou filling
ability is quite good, in massive crowds. The only flaw in her normal attacks
is her third normal attack, but in most cases, once crowds reach that
threshold size that is large enough to fill her musou in five or six normal
attacks, she's very effective. She then has fast fill, and an incredibly
destructive musou. The only downfall of course, is that she'll be almost
always forcing her musou. But this only means, she can't capitalize against
officers. Being able to musou fill in massive crowds with her normal attacks,
and then destroying them with her musou means a large KO count. This is also
a good reason to give her the Speed Scroll over the Way of Musou. It doesn't
allow her to do this, but it gives her a higher chance; she is more able to
walk right up to officers and start attacking, so that she can guarantee
a successful musou after filling it. Keep in mind that the Speed Scroll will
only help because she can get to officers with a much higher chance of
being unharmed in the process. Filling her musou safely is another thing.
But if she has a filled musou, or even partially filled, the Speed Scroll
will help a lot.
Her C5 is usually fast enough so that generals cannot block in
between, but it's one of those charge attacks that generals will sometimes
be able to block. There is a way to sort of, prevent this: you may have noticed
that she can hit blocking generals with her C5 if she is close
enough; but you have to sneak around the general during the execution time.
This is made possible because she moves forward quite a bit during the
execution. So in a sense, her C5 can hit generals regardless of
blocking, but it takes effort to do it, unlike the many other C5
that offer simple unblockability. Her C5 is a good way to juggle
generals with fire. However, because of the long recovery time, this is
likely only possible when generals are almost isolated. This is not necessary
anyway because a better way to juggle generals with fire, is to use her jump
charge. Just like Da Qiao's and Zhang Jiao's, it has to be timed correctly. If
you have the fire hit the ground just before the officer's feet, the officer
will be set on fire, while wailing about and falling to the ground slowly. It
is possible to start the juggling when the officer is in the process of
falling to the ground.
Zhu Rong's C6 is useful for hitting blocking generals but not much else. The
long recovery time makes it useful only in small crowds. If the execution is
safe though, and enemies are only in front of her, it's quite an ideal charge
attack because of how her C6 is positioned in front of her, and how she
discharges backwards. But ya, there's not much use for this charge attack
in large crowds. Her C3 is more useful for a distanced attack in front of her
because it's faster to execute. Her C6 is impossible to abuse, probably
even with speed 40. Her C3 also works well against blocking officers with the
Light Orb. Her C6 on the other hand is limited to only blocking officers.
Similar to Wei Yan's normal attack string, Zhu Rong's fourth and fifth
normal attacks may sometimes be out of sync. At certain angles, her fifth
normal attack will execute earlier than it should, and the result will be
both her fourth and fifth normal attacks clumped together. This is very
dangerous if you plan to do her sixth normal attack on an officer. Because
of her fifth charge executing unexpectedly early, generals will have enough
time to attack her before she can do her sixth attack.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________
8.42 - Zhen Ji
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"Yet another officer bows before me"
Zhen Ji's musou is one of the best crowd clearing musous in the game, almost
rivalling Pang Tong's and Meng Huo's. She has a unique C6, which is the
only 360 degree charge attack that disorientates. This makes it a bit more
useful against multiple officers, with her planted musou.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 32
Medium Weight
Fill 20
Horse 17
Bow 18
Defense 18
Life 17
With all four defense stats on her 4th weapon, Zhen Ji is the most defense
oriented character. Life and Defense are useful because of Zhen Ji's
challenging moveset, but they only let her get hit several more times.
With fill 20 on her weapon, she is another character with high fill and a
short musou. Zhen Ji would be a lot better with attack on her weapon. With an
attack+20 her jump charge is strong enough to kill peons in one hit.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Ginseng
Way of Musou
Light Orb
Since her jump charge is so useful against crowds, it would seem that giving
her the Herbal Remedy is useful. It turns out however, that her jump charge,
as well as her C1 are not affected by the Herbal Remedy. Ginseng is needed,
and with the maximum of fill 40, she can take on a larger range of crowd
sizes, because of much faster musou filling.
The Ice Orb will give her double damage against frozen officers, but the
safest way to freeze officers is with her C5, and the timing and angle are
pretty strict if you want it to be 100% efficient. She doesn't gain much
more cumulative damage anyway because of the low hit frequency in his musou.
The Light Orb will give make it easier for her C5 to hit officers in crowds,
and set up nicely for her true musou. This is very useful because her
musou has an initial lag to it, which makes it very hard to walk right up
to officers and use it. Although the Light Orb is very useful for her C6
only in Xtreme Legends, it's still nice to cover the theory in her section
here. Because of the extended flinching time, it's much easier to execute
her C6 in crowds, and this is very useful when facing multiple officers,
because it'll set up perfectly for her true musou. But for Dynasty Warriors 5
her C6 with the Light Orb is often only useful in musou rages.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Use her C1 before entering crowds whenever there is enough time.
If you attack directly after executing her C1 it will burst after her third
normal attack. This will sort of act as a fourth attack with good 360 degree
range. After this, is a good time to do her jump charge, or run away. This
combo is very effective against crowds, and most importantly, the safest
effective way of attacking. So the order goes like this: first normal attack,
second normal attack, third normal attack, her C1 bubble thingy bursting, and
then quick jump charge. This will often return a decent KO count in large
crowds, as well as buy her enough time to escape. For those of you who like to
counterattack, it is easy to counterattack after this combo.
Since her jump charge covers good reach and 360 degree range, all peons within
the attack range will get hit at the same time. This makes it easy to see
a chance to counterattack, as many of the peons will often attack her also at
the same time.
Sadly, her jump charge and C1 do not fill her musou. You will have to
rely on her normal attacks to fill her musou. The combo above is effective
for attacking, but not so much for musou filling. Also, the combo isn't
abusable at all. But musou filling still isn't too hard for Zhen Ji, because
her normal attacks are very fast, and have good range. If her jump charge were
to contribute to musou filling, Zhen Ji would have very well been ranked some
15 ranks higher.
Because of the initial lag in her musou, Zhen Ji lacks the ability to fight
generals in large crowds effectively. This is a huge disadvantage for her.
Thus generals are incredibly hard to fight in large crowds, is she
doesn't have the Light Orb equipped. Because of this,
you have to learn the charge attacks that will make her musou possible.
These are her C3, C5, and second last evolution attack.
Out of all these, her C5 is the safest and fastest method. Along
with her fast attacking speed and good attack range, her C5 has
very fast execution time. This makes it quite possible to pull it off against
generals in large crowds. This will easily set up a chance to do her true
musou. Her C3 is another way of doing this, but obviously, it's less
effective and less pratical. It may sometimes be safe enough to do her all of
her normal attacks up to her second last evolution attack, where the general
will be hit into the air, to set up for her true musou. This way you will get
a good 8 hits on the general before her musou. In the end, all these strategies
for dealing with generals in large crowds really only work for smaller crowd
sizes. When there are massive crowds present, because of her short reach,
it is often too dangerous to even lay a finger on the general, until the
crowd dies down.
The best situation to fight in is a crowd size large enough to fill her musou
and there is quite a decent range in crowd sizes because of her high fill
and short musou.
It's very noticeable that all her normal attacks have fast recovery
except for her fifth one. However, because of her poor reach, it's often
impractical to use the strategy of stopping purposely, like Guan Yu. It still
is quite possible, but only in small crowds. Her fast walking speed also helps
with this; sometimes when attacking with Zhen Ji in a surrounding crowd, you
might foresee that her C6 is impossible to execute, because of its
long execution time. This is another disadvantage for Zhen Ji, that she
doesn't have a good charge attack to serve as a good finishing move. The only
finishing move, like many other characters, is her musou. But quite obviously,
in surrounding crowds that are too small to fill her musou completely,
her musou isn't an option. But a good solution to this
problem is to stop attacking and counterattack, or simply stop attacking and
run away or jump away. The fast recovery times and her fast walking speed
allow her to do this quite easily and safely.
Her C6 is almost always too impractical to use. It has long execution
and recovery time, and that's all there is for an explanation on why it isn't
useful. It is useful only in musou rages, when paired with Light Orb. It is
very effective against multiple officers, because it will guarantee a full
true musou on officers, because her musou is planted.
Her C4 is a scattering attack, but because of the minimal
reach and range, it's very hard to use it properly.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
8.43 - Dian Wei
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"Can anyone stop me?"
Dian Wei is one of only two characters with the innate charge bracer. This
means that when performing all charge attacks, he will not flinch to any
normal attacks, but will flinch to charge attacks and musou attacks. Of
course damage will still be taken.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 36
Light Weight
Charge 15
Fill 15
Attack 18
Musou 17
Life 17
An excellent 4th weapon for Dian Wei. A short musou would have been a lot
better for defense. Speed would help a lot either in the place of musou or
life.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Way of Musou
Herbal Remedy/Ginseng
Fire Orb/Ice Orb
Musou filling may be hard for Dian Wei, because of his short reach. His true
musou is useful for the good ending. The ending is capable of hitting blocking
generals. The Herbal Remedy assists his charge attacks quite well since they
have lots of reach and range. Equip two of these three items, for his last two
slots. The combination of the Ginseng and Herbal Remedy will help a lot
for musou filling with his C4 when dealing with massive crowds. But this isn't
quite enough to make his musou filling ability good enough for him to have a
long musou bar.
The Fire Orb is useful for his C4, as the Ice Orb will hinder
its scattering potential slightly. Although the Ice Orb is probably more
useful because his musou will deal double damage against frozen generals.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Dian Wei's C5 probably has the most attack range out of all the 360
degree types of charge attacks. The range is mostly in front of him, which
is a good thing. The charge attack itself is excellent, but because his
fourth normal attack is totally vertical, pulling off his C5
safely, even in small crowds, is very hard to do. Also, the execution time is
somewhat long. Because of this, it is best to use his C5 to
greet large crowds, or any approaching enemies. Whenever you have the safety
distance, use his C5. The nice thing about his C5, is
that once you learn how to use it, it can hit both blocking and non-blocking
generals. As a combo, when generals are not blocking, it will connect if you
turn away from generals during the execution. This will usually create
enough safety distance to pull it off. Against blocking generals, just do the
same thing. Keep in mind though that reach is minimal directly behind him.
Instead of facing his back to the general, try to swirve off to the side a bit;
try to hit the blocking general with the reach of his C5 from the side instead
of his back. Anyway, no need to get too technical, all it needs is a little
practise.
His C4 is quite useful, as a standard scattering C4.
The reach and range is very good. The attack is quite long so you can steer
it in any way you like, to cover a potential 360 degrees. However, being such
a long charge attack may sometimes be a disadvange. It is still quite
easy to get hit during the long recovery time. Because it isn't an
instantaneous 360 degree attack, but a controlled 360 attack, it's
quite hard not to get hit during his C4. Because of these
reasons, his C4 is far from being full proof in large crowds.
But still, his C4 is often the only choice against massive crowds.
His C6 is another useful charge attack. It's because of the 360
degree range of his fifth normal attack that makes his C6 so useful.
His C6 does however, have long execution time, which is why I
considered Dian Wei to not have an abusable attack. His C6 is not
quite abusable in large crowds. Because of the long execution and his short
reach, it may be quite hard to pull off in large crowds. A very minor
disadvantage is that his fifth normal attack has somewhat high height,
so there is a huge disadvantage when using his C6 on a decline
slope. It is possible to complete a combo with his C6 on generals
safely, despite its long execution time. This however, isn't as simple as
turning your back to the general. Noticing that his fifth normal attack is a
360 attack going clockwise, you should try to hit the general at the end of
it, as close as possible to the tip of its attack range. Turn with the attack,
going clockwise, and position it in a way to hit the general at the
very end of his fifth normal attack. Doing so will always allow his C6
to execute, literally in the nick of time.
Try to take advantage after Dian Wei's true musou, to follow up with attacks,
if it is safe enough to.
As there is really no abusable attack for Dian Wei, there is always an
efficient way to fight, in all crowd sizes. His C6 does become
inefficient in large crowds, but large crowds should be approached differently
anyway. When fighting massive crowds, his first three normal attacks will
often fill his musou completely. Because Dian Wei has a long musou bar, giving
him the Ginseng is a good idea. With the extra fill bonus on his 4th weapon,
plus the Ginseng, musou filling should be very easy in large crowds. Then, his
normal attacks should be used in larger crowds with his true musou as a
finishing move. Crowds that are too large for his C6 to be possible, will fill
his musou with his normal attacks.
His C3 is probably only useful for one on one combat, or small crowds.
It's a useful charge attack with practically no execution time, for fighting
officers.
The fire in his true musou will help a lot with fighting generals in large
crowds, since Dian Wei lacks the ability to right up and behind officers in
large crowds. If officers are blocking, try to get close, and
hit him/her with the ending of his true musou. If you miss however, it may
be quite hard to deal with the general directly after.
So far it seems like Dian Wei has the versatility, and the effectiveness, to
take on anything. But there are many disadvantages in his attacks that make
him a below average defensive character. The biggest setback is his short
reach. There is always a possibility to getting hit in the middle of his
normal attack string. The fact that his fourth normal attack has totally
vertical range with bad reach is a huge disadvantage. Lastly, there are
potholes in all of his useful charges. It's obviously hard to not get hit
everytime you use his C4. His C5 has the obvious
disadvantages of long execution time and a terrible fourth normal attack.
His C6 also suffers from long execution. Another setback in
Dian Wei's defensive ability, is his slow walking speed. Learn when to use his
C1 effectively, and the disadvantage of his slow walking speed can be
minimized.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
8.44 - Huang Gai
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"I will crush you"
Huang Gai's quite nice to use for more expert players, because you have risk
going through his normal attacks before executing his later, more useful
charge attacks.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 36
Medium Weight
Charge 15
Luck 16
Defense 17
Attack 17
Life 15
I suppose this isn't a bad weapon. Life and Defense does make him very durable,
but his defensive potential is in no way fixed from having higher defense.
The only truly wasted stat would be luck. A high attack with a short musou is
very good for a character like Huang Gai, but fill on his weapon would make
him a lot better. When configured with fill 40, his first two normal attacks
have a good chance of filling his musou completely. A Speed increase would
be nice too. Sometimes when he's surrounded, and without a fill 40
setup, it's very hard for him to escape, so he's left with the only choice of
using his counterattack.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Way of Musou
Ginseng
Ice Orb
The ending of his true musou is very useful. Since Huang Gai's most useful
charge attack is his C6, and it is best to waste his more vertical normal
attacks, the ending of his musou will make it just slightly easier for this
to be possible, if he has no enemies behind him after his true musou.
Since his C6 can hit blocking officers, the Ice Orb of very useful for
double musou damage.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Huang Gai's bombs and his fourth charge are fire elemental by default. So you
can rely on these if you like to juggle high defense officers with fire.
An obvious way for using Huang Gai effectively is to always have some distance
between him and the enemy. This is just like Zhang Fei, and Zuo Ci. However,
Huang Gai is far from being as good as Zhang Fei or Zuo Ci because he has to
go through his risky third and fourth normal attacks to get to either his
C5 or C6. His fifth normal attack is not bad, but because his third and fourth
normal attacks will tend to allow larger crowds to surround him, Huang Gai will
often want to waste even his fifth normal attack. Huang Gai's offense is awesome
when officers and crowds are approaching from a distance, and the Way of Musou
will let him continue his method of wasting his normal attacks, because of the
wide reach and range covered during the ending.
The execution time and recovery time for his C6 are pretty average,
but fairly dependable. His C6 is the best way to freeze officers, especially
in crowds. It should be considered an unblockable attack. The execution is
normally long enough for generals to interrupt it. But if you create enough
safety distance by turning his back to officers during the execution, his C6
will always succeed. In the case that generals are blocking, simply do the
same thing. Turn away from the blocking general during the execution, or simply
execute his it at the right distance, and the gradual radiance effect of the
charge attack will often successfully hit the general. This makes his C6 his
most useful charge attack by far. Other than saving him from dangerous
situations, his musou should be saved for frozen generals. Just unleash his
full true musou on a frozen general for some easy and massive damage.
His C4 and C5 are his secondary charge attacks. Use his C4 if you foresee it
to be impossible to execute his C6 safely, although his C4 is still very
risky to execute in crowds. Unlike his C6, Huang Gai's C3 doesn't work both
ways for blocking and non-blocking generals. The execution time is too long,
and officers are able to hit him. Since it can't hit officers at all, his
C4 is limited to only peons. His C5 is also not as versatile as his C6.
The execution time is too long for it to be successful, however it works very
well against blocking officers. Because of its wide range in front, it is
essentially unblockable. But generally, his C6 will always do a
better job, since it is potentially unblockable regardless of whether generals
are blocking or not.
Despite its juggling property, his musou is quite strong. Doing it against
frozen enemies thus, does massive damage. Another good reason to save his
musou for frozen generals is that its juggle potential is not very reliable.
Because of its high height, it may be quite hard to keep the enemies you want
in the air, with his musou attacks. But unlike Sun Shang Xiang's musou, Huang
Gai's has a consistent solution to it. The height is lowest at Huang Gai's
left and right sides. So if you position the officer correctly, juggling
should be easy.
His jump attack may prove to be very useful in dangerous situations. When
crowds start to get too close, his jump charge done as quickly as possible,
will often free him from danger. The reach is quite decent. But sadly, it only
works when he's not surrounded.
His C3 is quite powerful, but because it lacks good attacking range
it's likely useful only for one-on-one combat. It's nice that the ending will
hit enemies into the air. This is quite useful if you have the Fire Orb
equipped. But because the Ice Orb is by far a better choice, I have excluded
consideration of the Fire Orb for Huang Gai.
I don't see his bombs to be of much practical use. It's easy to notice that
its actual attack range is much less than it visually seems. The timing for
his jump charge is very strict, and if you miss an officer, by doing it too
late, it's very easy to get hit. His C1 would be very useful if there were more
range to it, because then, with a high speed configuration, he can use
bombing strategies to help waste his risky normal attacks.
There is an alternative setup to consider for Huang Gai. He is able to
equip the Survival Guide for ATKx2 war axes. He'll get them every time he
uses his C1 on himself. Be sure to let him fall and lie completely on the
ground. Doing an L1 somersault will not work. However, this is only an
interesting alternative, because Huang Gai with his 4th weapon cannot be fast
enough on foot to really make this strategy useful when facing large crowds.
His running speed with the Speed Scroll is practically the same as the
running speed of peons. It's hard for him to create enough safety distance
to use his C1 and the Survival Guide effectively. However, this is of course
an evaluation of ground combat only, and thus a limitation by me, this guide,
and the ground combat tier lists. This strategy can work quite well if you
include horse combat. However, some time is wasted if you have to take his
horse to somewhere safe to use his C1. It's more like an ATKx2 for 20 seconds.
And of course, you can't even be scratched because he'll have zero health.
This is a more useful alternative with a speed 40 configuration.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
8.45 - Diao Chan
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"This is the end"
I like the characters with heavy 4th weapons, but Diao Chan just attacks way
too slow to be compatible with one. However, she has many small aspects that
are easy to overlook. She has very fast walking speed, which is very useful
for defensive reasons, her true musou is very strong, and like
Guan Yu and Zhao Yun's, hurls enemies high into the air, and this allows
for Diao Chan to easily follow up attacking directly after for easy musou
filling. Lastly, she wields two weapons (you may want to refer to section 6.7),
and just like Taishi Ci, her two weapons make her jump charge incredibly strong;
and because it is so damaging, it also has very good musou filling potential.
Diao Chan like Zhu Rong has slow attacking speed with short reach.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 32
Heavy Weight
Fill 18
Luck 18
Speed 19
Defense 16
Musou 18
This is probably one of the worst 4th weapons in the game. The only useful
stat is fill. All other stats are either useless or even a disadvantage.
Luck, speed, and defense do almost nothing to make her better. Having a long
musou is a disadvantage for a short reach, and slow attacking character
like Diao Chan. The long musou is a huge disadvantage, because of how
useful her jump charge is. She would be able to fill her musou much easier
with a short musou, charge 40, and fill 40. Then with her true musou, she
is quite deadly. But sadly, it's not possible with this 4th weapon.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Ginseng
Herbal Remedy/Demon Band/Way of Musou
Ice Orb
Because Heavy weapon wielders benefit most from musou rages, the Demon Band
may be a good item, depending on the stage. It's mainly her jump charge and
true musou that makes the Demon Band a good choice. Because attack damage is
doubled, her musou filling ability is awesome with her jump charge,
and her true musou will always return a huge KO count. The Demon Band is highly
recommended for stages like the Yellow Turban Rebellion on Yellow Turbans
Forces, for her to capitalize in 30 seconds of musou rage, to get as
many KO's as possible. Otherwise, go with the Herbal Remedy for a higher fill
with her jump charge, or the Way of Musou for a useful true musou.
The Ice Orb is mildly useful for double musou damage. The advantage isn't big
though, because her freezing ability isn't great, and the frequency in her
musou strikes is very low. The Light Orb could be a possibility, but that
also has very little benefits.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Diao Chan's C3 is the most protective way of attacking. There is a good
variety of 360 degree strikes. The trick is to enter crowds with her C3,
because of the long execution time, it's very easy to get hit before
executing it. If you always enter crowds with it, the chances of getting hit
are a lot slimmer. Another way to maximize safety with her C3 is to
notice that her second normal attack has only 180 degrees of attack range,
and is only to her right side. Simply shift it, so that she can direct this
attack range in the right direction, by turning to the left, just before it.
Mastering this, makes a huge difference in her defense with her C3.
She can use her jump charge for musou filling in massive crowds, with only
short musous, so she can always have a partially filled musou. But crowds
really do have to be massive. Like Taishi Ci, Diao Chan's only good against
small and massive crowds. The large range of crowd sizes in between are always
challenging.
Diao Chan's speed is what makes her really useful. The last part of her true
musou is very strong, and hits enemies into the air, which is often perfect to
follow up with a jump charge. You can often refill her musou bar instantly
if the group is large enough. This strategy is similar to Guan Yu's. The
fact that enemies are thrown perfectly into the air, will allow her to
continuously refill her musou bar, but sadly, it only works in very dense
and massive crowds. It is really fast, unlike ones like Zhang Fei's. The main
advantage is that the recovery time is very fast. Since her weapon is heavy,
it deals heavy damage. This move is great to use when her musou is about half
way charged. Just jump straight into a large crowd, and her musou should almost
always be filled. It is important to learn how strong it is, therefore, how
much of the musou bar it fills. Another advantage is that even if you mess up,
it's quite possible to escape by doing it again since the recovery time is so
fast. This makes her an incredible effective character in red health.
Her sixth normal attack has very fast recovery. With 360 degrees range, it's
often a very safe attack to use. Walking away, using her jump charge, or
anticipating a counterattack are all good options after it. Although her
C3 is more defensive than her normal attacks, it is still useful to mention
her sixth normal attack.
Now, if you isolate an enemy general, just use her C5.
For some reason, even though the execution time of her C5 is quite
slow, generals don't block it, or attack during the execution.
Also, given that she is close enough, it is unblockable when generals are
blocking. This means that her C5 always hits, just like
Pang De's. It is however different from Huang Zhong's C5 only
because of how enemy generals react to it. Huang Zhong's C5 is
able to hit blocking generals because it's reach is long enough, and it
is ground-pounding. Diao Chan's and Pang De's is, believe it not, unblockable
because of it's slow speed. It's just how the AI functions to react to these
slow charge attacks. Going straight to the point, these charge attacks have
an execution time that is long enough that a general ceases to continue
blocking, and will attempt to begin attacking, but will never succeed.
Pang De's and Sun Shang Xiang's have a very good chance of success to hit
blocking generals with their C5; Diao Chan's still works, but
is much less reliable. But there is something to relieve this lack of
reliability, because Diao Chan has another unblockable charge!! Her C6.
Paired with the Ice Orb, generals are rendered defensively
useless against her when they are isolated. If the general is not blocking
you can end your attack with her C5; use her musou if the ice
is successful. If the general is blocking, her C6 will always
hit, but only if she is close enough to the general; use her musou if
the ice is successful.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
8.46 - Taishi Ci
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"Lets DO this"
One of my favorite characters, and likely the hardest character to use or to
master. The major advantage is the fact that he wields two weapons. This makes
his jump charge, his C4, and his C5 deal massive damage.
These moves make Taishi Ci an incredible offensive character, even though his
4th weapon doesn't have an attack bonus. Imagine if it did. Since his 4th
weapon has life and defense bonuses, he is also quite a tank, but clearly,
he is one of the best examples of how defensive items are useless, because
all they will do is let him get hit more times. It is often a high attack,
and a high fill that mean's ultimate defense, and in some cases, high speed.
He also has minor advantages with his strong horse attack, bow attack, and the
charge bracer effect only during his C3.
Some people may still think that Taishi Ci should be lowered even more. I'll
agree that it is debatable. But his ability to dispatch generals
can match characters like Xiahou Dun, and Wei Yan. But this is obviously, in
the case of the "perfect game" where you are just so great at counterattacking,
and attacking "cleverly" with his charge attacks. Likely never to be a final
decision, I've ranked him here.
Taishi Ci is ranked 4th place in the top ten fastest general killers in
section 14.2. I believe that he could come very close to Zhuge Liang's time
if his 4th weapon had an extra attack bonus.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 38
Medium Weight
Charge 15
Horse 15
Bow 15
Defense 18
Life 18
With a weapon like this, is one of the few characters in the game with all
stats devoted to defense. All four of the stats, horse, bow, life and defense
contribute to a stronger defense. But again, it does almost nothing to make
his moveset much more defensive at all. The problem with his weapon is the
absense of attack and fill. With a short musou, his filling ability with
attack and fill would be a lot higher. Still, it's good to have at least charge
on it. Something else that Taishi Ci needs, is a speed. Speed 20 is
good enough. It makes a huge defensive difference, because this speed 20 is
enough to allow him to run away from crowds that have surrounded him. Having
it on his weapon would free him an extra item slot. With attack, charge,
fill, and speed, Taishi Ci would be a much better character.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Speed Scroll
Ginseng
Ice Orb
As mentioned above, the Speed Scroll is needed for a much better defense.
When Taishi Ci is surrounded, it's really hopeless without the Speed Scroll.
People who are good at counterattack can usually survive without speed, for
slow characters, but Taishi Ci's counterattack isn't exactly an ideal one.
The Ginseng will make it a lot easier for him to fill his musou.
The benefit of ice is mainly for his C5. If the ice is successful, he
can easily sneak in a jump charge, and then a full musou. This combo deals
massive damage, because of two double damage charge attacks, and his
incredible musou. His C5 works best because it has long reach, which makes it
easier to do a jump charge after it. The recovery of all his other elemental
charge attacks would often never allow him to use his jump charge after it.
Another important reason to give him the Ice Orb is that it will eliminate
the out of sync effect with his musou strikes. Like Zhang Liao's regular musou,
Taishi Ci's can be a problem because officers can block it quite easily,
especially in large crowds. Ice will help too when using Taishi Ci's
juggling true musou.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Explained above, Taishi Ci has a one hit KO combo against generals, which
is incredibly valuable. But no matter how valuable it is, he is still ranked
this low in the tier list, because the combo is hard to pull off, and is
not very consistent.
Because of the lack of reliability in his normal attacks, it's really easy
to get hit. Usually this can be solved with a good counterattack, but because
Taishi Ci's counterattack doesn't cover much range, you'll often be left in
an unsafe situation directly after the counterattack. This makes Taishi Ci a
character for expert players.
Taishi Ci is one of those characters that should always avoid his true musou.
In fact, His true musou may be the worst in the game in terms of
the degree of how much it is downgraded compared to his regular musou. First,
enemies are juggled, so damage dealt in true musou is cut down by
half. But secondly, and most importantly, his true musou is by far weaker than
his regular musou. It's the ending of his regular musou that does massive
massive damage, which is what you want. Forget about 360 degree coverage
that deals minimal damage. When he is in low health and thus forced to use
his true musou, his general killing potential is greatly diminished, while
crowd clearing ability is barely increased.
Try to do his full regular musou, because if you do a short one, it will still
eat up the entire musou bar. Try to make the most of it. If his musou is
used for defense, officers will often be blocking. If you can see that the
officer is close enough for you to get around him/her to successfully
use the ending, then do so. If not, then try to use it move around and
have it hit the crowd in a way to scatter peons into the blocking officer.
The only time to use a short regular musou is when officers aren't blocking
in massive crowds, because in massive crowds, it's very easy for officers to
be displaced because crowds are too dense, and this makes it almost
unpredictable, and very hard to use his musou with the officer blocking it
in between musou strikes. It's the ending that deals massive damage anyway.
Like Zuo Ci and Zhang Fei, Taishi Ci's musou is very strong by default.
As mentioned above, his "double weaponed" charge attacks should be abused. His
jump charge and his C5 both have good range, and can kill
privates in one hit. The amount of damage that they cause fill up his musou
gauge quickly. Keep in mind that Taishi Ci is at his best, when enemies are
somewhat distanced from him, because his jump charge and his C5
aren't good options when enemies are too close. In massive crowds however,
you can probably get away with continuously doing his jump charge, followed
by a musou, just as he lands. This is generally quite safe to pull off,
until crowds die down, or until you get your next musou rage token. Generally,
small groups are easy to take care of...large groups are ok, if you keep doing
his air charge; just have to pray that your musou gauge will fill up. What's
dangerous, is troops coming from all different places, but in moderately
sized groups. It's hard to fight with Taishi Ci in groups that are too small
to do the "continuous jump charge" strategy, but too large to really handle with
regular attacks. The rest is up to your strategic attacking, and keen
counterattacking. The major reason why these sort of groups are so hard to
deal with is because Taishi Ci isn't fast enough to fun away from crowds. This
is why he needs the Speed Scroll to waste an item slot. He won't be fast
enough to be able to use his C5 as a distanced attack. Well, speed 40
still won't be enough, even if he had a light weapon. When speed will do for
him is allow him to always be able to attack with enemies only in front of
him, and this means a much better defense.
His C4 is very strong, and a great scattering move. But likely
impractical in most situations because of the lack of reach and range, and
even more impractical when equipped with the Ice Orb.
His C6 is obviously useless when surrounded. The only time to use
this is probably greeting large crowds, to scatter them.
Use his C2 whenever you can see that there are no enemies outside
of the reach of the charge, because of course the recovery time will allow
enemies to attack him. Otherwise this move is decently strong, and has useful
range. Even if there are enemies outside of the reach of his C2, if
you know that it will fill his musou, it is not a bad idea to do it.
Lastly, I would stay away from using his C3. The speed is quite
slow, and the range isn't reliable. The ending is not too bad, but overall a
very useless attack. Although there is the charge bracer effect during the
entire sequence of Taishi Ci's C3, it is still pretty useless,
because quite frankly in Chaos, you really can't afford to get hit, and for
Taishi Ci, it is best to not be in red health.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_____________
8.47 - Sun Ce
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"One down, many more to go"
I believe Sun Ce to be one of the hardest characters to use in Chaos mode.
Easily one of lowest ranked characters with respect to hard mode. Because in
hard mode, his offensive power is just so great, and you need not ever worry
about his defense...or getting hit, because he can take the hits and there is
always life to find. Obviously, in Chaos mode, it is the total opposite.
Because of his lack of reach, his defensive potential while attack is very
poor.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 36
Medium Weight
Charge 15
Attack 18
Life 15
Speed 18
Musou 15
The problem with this weapon is the long musou and no fill bonus. With Sun Ce's
short reach, his musou filling ability is not good at all. If fill were
in the place of musou, his defense would be a lot better, which would
place him a lot higher in the tier list. With such high fill and high attack,
his musou should be easily filled with his C4. But with this 4th weapon,
he'll always be at risk after his C4.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Ginseng
Herbal Remedy / Way of Musou
Ice Orb
The Ginseng is extremely important for higher fill. The Herbal Remedy will
help a little bit with his C4, and C5, for a little higher fill, but it's
not enough to make a difference. The Way of Musou might be a better choice.
However, it's probably best to never use his full musou, unless enemy
officers are frozen.
The Ice Orb is very useful for double musou damage. It's not too hard to
freeze blocking officers with his C3.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
It's very disappointing that Sun Ce has such short reach. He would be a much
fiercer character if his reach were to be longer. However, the range in his
normal attacks is quite good. But because of his short reach, it's hard to
deal with even moderately sized crowds, with his normal attacks. The only
good things about his normal attacks are that they are very damaging, and he
has very fast attacking speed.
His C4 is likely the best move for crowd clearing, but probably
only safe to do when entering a crowd. This is once again mainly because of the
lack of reach in his attacks. Also his third normal attack doesn't have much
range, because it is a jab attack. The scattering effect of his C4 is mainly
in front on him, so it is still quite easy to get
hit after it. The execution time for his C4 is
fast enough that generals do not block it, and this makes it so much more
useful, because his C4 can be used to fight generals in crowds.
If it were slow enough that generals were able to block it, then it would be
much much harder to Sun Ce to deal with generals in crowds. Because it's
safest to enter crowds with his C4 (or at least his third normal attack), and
he only scatters enemies in front of him, it is best to use leading techniques
often with Sun Ce. Creating safe chances to use his C4 shouldn't be too hard
with his fast walking speed. If you always enter crowds with his C4 while
keeping enemies only in front of him, his defense can be quite good, even
with such poor musou filling ability.
His C5 is also useful for dealing with crowds. It's nice that it is
fire elemental. Just like his C5 the reach is quite good. It does have 360
degree range, but he moves forward quite a bit during the execution so it
does require a little practise to use it properly. But because he moves
forward a lot during the execution of his C5, it can be used
to successfully hit blocking generals: and this is very easily done if he is
close enough to the blocking general. Because it can be considered somewhat
unblockable, his C5 makes it a bit easier to deal with officers in crowds,
when generals are blocking. Another important disadvantage to note is that all
parts of his C5 can be considered as an aerial attack, so he's very
susceptible to enemy juggle if you get hit during his C5.
People who are good at counterattacking, may enjoy using Sun Ce a lot more.
This way, you won't really have to lead groups of peons so that he can enter
crowds with his C4.
His C1 is very useful because of the fact that generals do not
block directly after getting up. One reason for using this method against
generals is that if you try to attack a general head on, there is a pretty
high chance that the general will hit him first because of Sun Ce's lack of
reach; sometimes generals like to do very quick jump attacks. Using his
C1 will eliminate this sort of threat. Secondly and most
importantly, it is incredibly useful when running away, and a general along
with a crowd is running after him. You can use his C1 to lift the
general of his/her feet, and quickly turn around and do his C4.
Since his normal attacking speed is so fast, the timing is perfect; the general
will get up from the ground just as his C4 will execute. This is a
very deadly strategy if the general is successfully iced. But it should noted
that the timing for his C1 is also important.
His musou is very damaging, but is a juggling one, and doesn't hit
very frequently. Very much like Ma Chao's musou, it's definitely very strong,
but not very useful because it doesn't hit very frequently at all. It's
a bit hard to keep an officer in the air with his musou. It's very
easy for generals to drop to the ground during his musou and get up just
as his musou ends, and this is often a fatal situation to be in. His musou
is still the perfect thing to do when a general is frozen. When generals are
frozen you will not suffer the half damage because of juggling, so typically
his musou will shave off about half of a regular general's health bar. Just
make sure that you keep generals in the air when the ice wears off. Try to
do long musous on frozen officers only. Juggling officers for half damage,
and half the attack frequency isn't very worth it. Against frozen officers,
his musou hits are more frequent, so his musou is very damaging.
His C3 is useful against officers. Because it also has short reach, it's not
very defensive. Save his C3 for when he has a filled musou. When mastered
he can have a perfect 60% chance to freeze officers, regardless of blocking.
It is best to move to in a clockwise direction because of the way he swings
his tonfas during his C3. All motions in his C3 benefit from moving in a
clockwise direction. He has the most reach on his left side, and the ending of
his C3 is kind of a hook attack, that also goes in a clockwise direction.
Because he moves forward a lot during the ending, it's very easy to hit
blocking officers with it. With everything tied together, knowing that the
reach is on his left side, which makes it safest to attacking in a clockwise
direction, it is natural then, to attempt to freeze officers with his C3, with
officers positioned to Sun Ce's right hand side. You'll have to master the
correct distance for his C3 to hit properly, but this isn't hard. The
basics for using his C3 against officers, in large crowds, is to use it this
way, with officers positioned always to his right side.
I don't find his C6 to be too useful. The thing I hate most
about it, is that its execution time is long enough for generals to block.
If it were fast enough, it would be somewhat useful against generals in crowds.
It's very easy to get hit during the pummeling sequence. It's not a bad idea
to greet very large crowds with the ending of it though. Its scattering
potential is quite good, and may be useful depending on how big of a crowd you
are facing.
Lastly, his jump charge like many others (Lu Meng, Sun Quan) doesn't cover
enough range to be practical.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_________________
8.48 - Zhang Jiao
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
"That's one more disbeliever converted"
In comparison with Diao Chan, Sun Ce, Taishi Ci, and many other low tier
characters, Zhang Jiao is slightly better against
smaller crowds, but Zhang Jiao almost stands no chance against massive crowds.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 32
Medium Weight
Charge 16
Fill 9
Luck 15
Attack 15
Musou 17
The only low tier character with attack on his 4th weapon. Attack, fill,
and charge are all very useful for Zhang Jiao. Although a long musou is often
risky for him, his C3 is still a very good musou filling move. What's missing
is speed. With a speed configuration of 40, he will be fast enough to
always enter crowds with his C3, and this makes a huge difference in Zhang
Jiao's defense. But with his 4th weapon, he will have to stick with a very
poor defense. Zhang Jiao fans, please refer to his ideal configuration in
section 10.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Herbal Remedy
Ginseng
Wind Scroll/Demon Band/Speed Scroll
Light Orb
With the Ginseng and the Herbal Remedy equipped, his filling potential with his
C3 is very high. The Wind Scroll is very useful for his first normal attack,
but that cannot be abused in larger crowds. The Speed Scroll may be useful,
but unless with a speed 40 setup, he cannot abuse his C3 with safety, by
running fast enough. The Demon Band may be a good choice in some stages for
30 seconds of crowd clearing. However, it's not as effective as Diao Chan's
Demon Band setup, because Zhang Jiao's C3 has more defensive risks, and a slower
running speed.
The Light Orb is the best defensive choice. The Ice Orb is another possibility,
because his C3 can be used to hit blocking officers, but this is very hard to
do because moving around freely during his C3 is often too dangerous to do.
Ice won't help much for double damage anyway, because of a low hit frequency
with his musou. The innate fire for his regular musou is a nice advantage.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Zhang Jiao's musou is the only musou in the game that has bad defense.
Many aspects of his musou make it the worst defensive musou. The first thing
is that it is planted. Most other planted musous are very good crowd clearing
ones like Zhu Rong's, or Zhen Ji's. Because Zhang Jiao's is often limited to
a single officer, his ability to deal with multiple officers is almost
non-existent. Normally, a planted musou isn't a bad musou, defensively, but
it's the slow recovery in combination of it's planted property that makes it
a very dangerous musou. Blocking officers are bad news for Zhang Jiao.
One other musou that comes close to being like Zhang Jiao's is Ling Tong's.
It's also very hard for Ling Tong to fight against multiple officers when
not in musou rage, but for Ling Tong, he can avoid his musou easily,
while Zhang Jiao cannot.
The important thing is to learn how much time it takes to safely execute his
C3, so that you know how far the safety distance from an approaching
group is. It's the shockwave ending that you will be relying on for crowd
clearing. His C4 and C6 do very very little damage. They just set fire to his
enemies, and deal minimal damage but hit for a lot of combos. This is why
sometimes you get large combo count when doing these fire moves (like Zuo Ci's
jump charge). So what I mean is the only time you can kill enemies with his
C4 or C6 is if you hit them at nearly zero health. The main point is that it
is useless. On top of that, both these charge attacks have ridiculously slow
execution and recovery times, rendering them totally useless for any sort of
close combat.
For crowd clearing, you HAVE to make sure that enemies are in front of
him. During the first part of his C3 where his staff is levitating
up and down, he is vulnerable to enemy attack from both sides as well as
behind him. It's the shockwave that is useful. The damage that the
shockwave does is very strong, and since it has a really wide
radius, charging his musou isn't so hard. Once crowds get too big to
handle, run away. A really good move to use to help for safer execution of his
C3 is his jump attack. It offers quite remarkable reach. So it's very
useful to continually use this move, in hopes of giving him enough
distance to execute his C3 safely. This strategy should be the best
for Zhang Jiao to be untouchable. However, his jump attack is not good enough
to make his C3 work in massive crowds. When crowds start to surround his
C1 may also be useful.
You don't even have to think about ever using his C2 or C5. His C2 has horrible
range, and is slow enough for generals to block. His C5 although fast enough
for generals to not block or interrupt it, has only the reach and range of
exactly as you see it. The animation of the four chinese characters, defines
exactly the area of damage. It is even possible for officers to be sandwiched
safely in between Zhang Jiao and the four chinese characters, therefore not
getting hit at all if they are too close to him.
One good thing about Zhang Jiao's musou is that the fire balls are piercing.
Unlike Dynasty Warriors 4, he is able to hit multiple targets with it.
When surrounded, it may be useful to use his first normal attack, and just
this attack. Just like Pang Tong's, it has very good range, and fast
recovery time. It is possible to continuously do it, in smaller crowds, when
he is surrounded. Abuse this attack whenever it is a valid option.
A minor strategy is to use his jump charge. Like Zhu Rong's or Da Qiao's, you
can position it so that the fire hits the generals at their feet, thereby
setting them on fire, while temporarily keeping them on their feet. This is
much easier to accomplish if you choose to equip Zhang Jiao with the Wind
Scroll.
Using Zhang Jiao takes a lot of skill and patience, and is not only his
C3. His jump attack, C1, and first normal attack should
be mastered, and used for defensive purposes.
===============================================================================
_________________________________________________________________
9.0 - Individual Character Tips and Strategies for Xtreme Legends [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
This section functions similar to the previous section, section 8. This
section is an expansion for Xtreme Legends. These analyses will be shorter
as they are only expansions. Different tips and strategies arise because of
new items in Xtreme Legends, and different properties such as extended
flinching time (refer to section 5.1 - Changes in Xtreme Legends)
Because the character analyses in this section are expanded from Dynasty
Warriors 5, from section 8, it is recommended that individual character
analyses from section 8, be digested before reading them here, because
I will not repeat the comments on the suggested item configurations, etc.
Each character section will begin with item recommendations. Comments on
their 4th weapons still remain the same for the most part.
Following the items, will be the analysis. Similar to section 8, an analysis
of the characters will be presented. These analyses discuss the changes
of the characters caused by the new items, extended flinching time, and
heavy weapon non-flinching property. (refer to section 6.34 - The Dragon Arms
for its details and properties)
Since the video clips for this section are all going to be under 10 minutes
long (thank god), I am going to upload them all onto youtube, for public
viewing. This way, you don't have to email me for the video clips anymore.
The video length limit on youtube is 10 minutes, which is why I don't have
the regular DW5 video clips uploaded on there. For those, you would need
to email me. Here is the link to my profile; from there you can access all
the video clips.
http://youtube.com/DW5chaosmodeguide
Also, for tier list inquiries and just general questions that you want to
direct to me, try to use my email, instead of commenting on the videos.
Oh ya, the earlier videos are bit outdated. I have mentioned this by either
saying something about it being outdated or not as good as another one of my
later videos of the same character, and I'll likely refer you to a better
video.
Yes, this section will introduce another tier list. This tier list would be
quite similar to the Dynasty Warriors 5 one, but slighty different. This tier
list follows the same guidelines and definitions (please refer to section 8.0).
There are two new movesets in Xtreme Legends, and they are Fu Xi and Nu Wa,
or more accurately the Broadsword and Rapier.
Because of the new item, True Way of Musou, many characters are now able to
kill regular non-playable officers in one swift chain of attacks. The
usefulness of a character's musou now plays an even greater role in offensive
power, so it's natural for characters with useful musous and good musou filling
to rise above the others. This is one of the major factors that determine each
character's placement in the tier list: there are many different ways of
defeating regular generals from full health in one chain of attacks, but the
most valuable the character's musou is, the easier this chain will be.
Nu Wa's, and Pang De's musous are good examples of valuable musous. Of course,
any character can defeat a general in one chain of attacks by simply juggling
with fire, but the focus here, is on the characters' musous, and whether or
not one musou can kill a regular general from full health, and if it relies on
the assistance of ice, or a preceding chain of planted normal attacks.
Because of the True Way of Musou item, the changes in the tier list are
very natural, as characters with good musous would benefit more.
Here is a short prioritized list of musou general killing ability:
1) Able to kill a regular general in one full musou or less
2) Able to kill a regular general in one full true musou
3) Able to kill a regular general in one musou/true musou with Ice
4) Able to kill a regular general in one continuous chain of attacks
consisting of a full musou/true musou, with a set of preceding normal
attacks.
5) Unable to kill a regular general in continuous chain of attacks
The list above is just a simple guideline for evaluating characters and
the ability and usefulness of their musou. This Tier List like the Dynasty
Warriors 5 one, will decend in defensive ability. With in a group of
characters who have seemingly equal defensive capabilities is when offensive
speed comes in to determine sub-tiers, or the ordering within a tier.
Just a note on tier lists: Many people tend to reject tier lists
outright, because the common thought is that a tier list is all opinion, and
that a tier list depends on how good a person is with each character. First
of all, being good with several characters, for example personal favorites,
reflects obviously an individual tier list, which is biased, premature, and
inaccurate; and this has nothing to do with a general all-emcompassing
tier list. Secondly, on the common philosophy that tier lists are all, or
mostly, opinion-based: this cannot be true, as the method for constructing
an accurate tier list relies on a collection of factual pros and cons of
each character. When these pros and cons all weight out to a thorough
conclusion, characters can be evaluated and placed among one another. When
a number of characters have seemingly equal pros and cons, is when opinions
make the negligible impact. There is a "best" way to play each character, and
this is factual; there is a "best" way to survive or fight protectively with
each character, and this is factual. I have witnesses perhaps too many times
that people make reckless claims and label percentages for tier lists to
something like being 95% opinion, and 5% fact. From my brief argument above,
this is really hard to except. For the general tier lists in my guide, I have
organized characters into tiers, and characters in these tiers are ordered.
It can be thought that characters separated by tiers in the tier lists in
my guide are factual, very close to being factual. The order of the characters
within the same tier, normally have similar pros and cons, and may very well
depend on individual opinion. If it seems to you there might be an error
in the Tier List, let me know and we can discuss it. I am only one person, with
this entire guide, and there are bound to be errors. Keep in mind that a
universally accepted Tier List can be made. If there's a misplacement, it isn't
due to conflicting opinions, but just an error in my analysis of the characters.
Lu Bu and Zhang Jiao: I know that I am using two extremes, but the obvious
point is that, fact or opinion, no matter how you look at it, these two
characters can never be rivalled.
Finally, for the video clips, The stage, Battle of Mai Castle, has been chosen,
for similar reasons as the Siege of He Fei Castle stage, for the video clips
in section 8. Battle of Mai Castle, has a large number of generals. And
just like The Siege of He Fei, the stage begins with small peon crowds and
gradually progresses to large crowds; Mai Castle also begins with a
fair number and good variety of regular generals, then playable characters, and
then the two commanders Lu Meng and Cao Ren. Thus, Mai Castle is again, a
perfectly suitable stage to present all the characters effectively. The
Battle of Mai Castle may actually be a better stage than the Siege of He Fei
Castle, because of the threat of archers. This would show the importance of
dealing with archers in crowds, and bring out the importance of walking speed,
and show the importance of the perfect defense tier of Zhao Yun, Ma Chao,
and Zhou Tai.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Dynasty Warriors 5 Xtreme Legends Tier List
Chaos Mode; 5-star stages; Mastered Characters
Lu Bu
_______________
Zhou Tai
Zhao Yun
Ma Chao
_______________
Lu Xun
Wei Yan
Gan Ning
Zhang Liao
Pang De
Da Qiao
Zhuge Liang
Zuo Ci
Ling Tong
Yuan Shao
_______________
Sun Quan
Sima Yi
Zhang He
Nu Wa
Liu Bei
Xiahou Dun
Zhang Fei
Jiang Wei
Xing Cai
Lu Meng
Dong Zhuo
Guan Yu
_______________
Zhou Yu
Pang Tong
Meng Huo
Xu Huang
Yue Ying
Guan Ping
Xiao Qiao
Sun Jian
Cao Pi
Cao Cao
Cao Ren
_______________
Sun Shang Xiang
Zhen Ji
_______________
Huang Zhong
Fu Xi
Xiahou Yuan
Taishi Ci
_______________
Xu Zhu
_______________
Dian Wei
_______________
Zhu Rong
Sun Ce
Huang Gai
Diao Chan
_______________
Zhang Jiao
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dynasty Warriors 5 Xtreme Legends
Tier List Discussion
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Top Tier: Excellent Defense; Excellent Offense; Unparalleled Consistency
Lu Bu
Not surprisingly Lu Bu still holds the top tier placement. Nothing much has
changed for him, his offense just got a little better, and defense remains
about the same. Being able to defeat regular and playable officers easily in
one simple string of attacks with his C3 and long True Musou, Lu Bu has one of
best offenses in the game with the best consistency. Even if crowd sizes are
too large for him to walk straight up to an officer to start attempt his C3,
he still has a very good offense, and blocking officers can't do anything about
it because his C3 can be unblockable. He still has a high chance to kill the
blocking officer in one musou, if ice is successful. Although Lu Bu still
has no equal, the other characters are catching up. The True Way of Musou and
the extended flinching time has upgraded many other characters a lot, while
Lu Bu has gotten only slightly better.
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2nd Tier: Perfect Defense; Good Offense
Zhou Tai, Zhao Yun, Ma Chao
These three characters are capable of having perfect defense. Ma Chao has his
jump charge which can be abused for flawless defense. Zhou Tai and Zhou Yun
need the Dragon Arms to make it work. Because both their C1's grant
invincibility, they are capable of achieving a perfect defense because both
their C1's cover a lot of distance, and the recovery times can be cancelled
safely with their normal attacks.
The order is strictly based on offensive performance. Zhou Tai is the only one
who has a grounded musou, and therefore a much better offense. However, the
order may be very arguable because Zhou Tai's perfect defense method with his
C1, may take a lot of time in massive crowds because it doesn't cover as much
distance as Zhao Yun's. He may find himself having to do his C1 several times
before he gets a chance to escape safely. But for most situations, Zhou Tai's
offense is the fastest. The order may only change in massive crowd situations.
But whatever happens to the order, Zhao Yun is practically always better than
Ma Chao because of a better musou. Ma Chao has a chance in the full
customization tier list, but because in this tier list where only 4th weapons
are considered, Ma Chao is better off with a musou bonus on his 4th weapon,
which he doesn't have. Although Ma Chao can freeze officers much more easily,
Zhao Yun's musou is a lot longer, and has more frequent hits. Lastly, it's
slightly easier for Zhao Yun to fit in normal attacks because of his more
protective normal attacks, before executing his regular musou. Doing this,
his offense is not too much slower than Zhou Tai's. It is likely a good idea
to get Zhao Yun and Ma Chao into red health to maximize their offenses,
because afterall, they have a perfect defense. In red health, Zhao Yun holds
the top placement in this tier.
Again, this tier is a more theoretical tier, because the characters in the
few tiers below this one also have very good defense. Some have good defense
because of distanced attacks, and some have good defense because of long
reach and/or high fill. Both of these types are slightly inferior to the
defensive capabilities of Zhou Tai, Zhao Yun, and Ma Chao. Characters who
rely dominantly on distanced attacks such as Zhuge Liang or Huang Zhong have
weaknesses when facing archers. A stage such as Mt Qi will certainly make the
difference between the defensive potential of this tier and the defensive
potential of the few tiers below this very apparent. The abundance of archers
in Mt Qi can be a problem for Huang Zhong. Although it's doesn't necessarily
do much to make his defense worse. It just greatly limits his offense. Other
characters with seemingly high defense such as Guan Yu, is still ultimately
inferior to the characters' defense in this tier. Zhou Tai, Zhao Yun, and Ma
Chao have no problems facing multiple officers, large number of archers,
and fast opponents such as Lu Xun. Zhang Fei indeed has a very good defense
with his C3 and the new extended flinching time. But he may have problems
when up against Lu Xun. One thing that Zhou Tai, Zhao Yun, and Ma Chao also
never need to worry about, is fighting with enemies only in front of them.
If they ever get surrounded, they can easily get out, or abuse their invincible
attacks. No other characters are as capable as Zhou Tai, Zhao Yun, and Ma Chao,
against multiple officers, large number of archers, mounted officers,
and fast officers.
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3rd Tier: Very Good Defense; Very Good Offense
Lu Xun, Wei Yan, Gan Ning, Zhang Liao, Pang De, Da Qiao, Zhuge Liang, Zuo Ci,
Ling Tong, Yuan Shao
All of the characters in this tier have very good defense and very good and fast
offense. The order was decided very quickly, so if anyone would like to
discuss it further, I'd be happy to. Comparing the top characters with the
bottom characters, they are indeed not too different. Lu Xun and Wei Yan
are both capable of killing officers in one musou, and have fast musou filling
methods. The same can be said for Yuan Shao; he just takes a but longer
to musou fill. The 4th tier includes characters who have fast musou filling and
can kill officers in two musous, while the characters in this tier are all
able to defeat regular officers in simply one musou, and they all have
quite fast musou filling methods. Ling Tong is the only exception, but his
high freezing chances with his abusable C4, makes his offense extremely
fast, even against playable officers. And this is how I will decide to draw the
line. It's true that offensive speed with this tier and the one below it,
decreases very gradually. It's hard to decide where to separate it, but it
has to be separated somehow at some places, because Lu Xun and Huang Zhong
simply cannot be placed in the same tier, because of huge offensive differences.
Lu Xun, I consider as a special case, and should be placed at the top of this
tier almost for sure. He is the only one who is capable of defeating both
regular and playable officers in one musou. He also has a very fast musou
filling method with his incredible C3. His grounded musou itself is enough
to take out regular officers from full health. And against playable officers,
he has two methods: All he needs is a C3 preceding his musou. Since his
C3 strikes are so powerful, then initial damage is enough. Be sure to skip the
ending of his C3 though because if ice doesn't kick in, officers will be
juggled if he were to follow up with his musou. The second method is with his
C1. Deploying his C1 fire orb, and timing it right will allow him to kill
playable officers easily with his regular musou. This is very easy to do with
Lu Xun because of his fast walking speed. Having these two methods to dispose
of playable officers in one musou means more versatility. His C3 method works
well in smaller crowds sizes, but when officers are in massive crowds, you
can resort to his C1 method. Lu Xun's offense is almost clearly unmatched
in this tier. He may even deserve to have his own tier by himself. However,
I will keep him at the top of this tier for now, because his musou filling
methods are not as fast as others, like Wei Yan's, or Zhang Liao's. He's also
not as good against multiple officers as many others in this tier.
Wei Yan needs his Fire Orb configuration to be placed near the top of this tier.
His C3 and regular musou with the Fire Orb is just enough to kill regular
officers. And this method is very easy to replicate. What this means though,
is that he has no chance to kill playable officers quickly. The Ice Orb
configuration is still not a bad one. He'll take two musous to kill both
regular and playable officers 40% of the time, and only one musou 60% of the
time. Still very impressive.
The three Gan Ning, Zhang Liao, and Pang De have musous that are almost enough
to kill regular officers in one musou. They also all have very fast musou
filling. Gan Ning is the highest here because with ice he has a chance at
killing playable officers, while Zhang Liao and Pang De don't, unless a
Dragon Amulet setup is used. But this means slower fill. Zhang Liao can be
quite compatible with the Dragon Amulet for a longer musou bar, but Pang De is
not. Pang De is only less compatible because he can't abuse normal attacks,
which means he needs a filled musou after either his C4, or C6, most of the
time if he is to be considered to be placed in this tier for high defense.
This explains the order, I hope very well. It's important to know how to use
Gan Ning's musou against officers without the Ice Orb to achieve the best
results, to understand his high placement.
Da Qiao isn't much different from the three characters Gan Ning, Zhang Liao,
and Pang De. Her musou itself is enough to kill regular officers. She does
indeed have a crack at defeating playable officers quickly but she will need
ice, and it's not very easy at all for her to freeze officers in large
crowds. Her musou filling is quite good, her offense overall may be just
slightly slower, because of potential forced musous after her sixth normal
attack. She is also considered slightly inferior to others in this tier for
the worst defense. However, because she won't flinch to normal attacks when
she's attacking, and since she has high defense, she'll only get scratched
here and there. And so, it's very easy to get her safely into red health.
When she's in red health, it's true that her offense would be a bit slower,
but it doesn't happen too often, even in harder than average stages.
Zhuge Liang, and Zuo Ci both have a one-musou-KO offense
against officers. Zhuge Liang's musou is a bit better because it can
take out playable officers in one musou, while Zuo Ci needs ice for it.
This should already explain the order for Zhuge Liang, and Zuo Ci.
Zuo Ci's C4 is also hard to control in terms of not letting peons
slip through his beams. He does end up having to waste a few musou here and
there. But even in close combat, Zuo Ci's musou filling ability is decent.
Ling Tong is the first one in this tier that can almost be placed anywhere
in this tier. He has the highest, best, or most consistent, officer freezing
method. And this is because of his unblockable and easy to access C4. No
other character is capable of a better officer freezing rate. Zhang Fei
comes close with his C3, but is obviously lacking. Cao Pi does have an 84%
chance with his C1 and C5 combo, but it is no where near as consistent as
Ling Tong's C4. Any other candidates? I think not. Ling Tong has a few
disadvantages, which is why it is very hard to order him accurately in this
tier, or any other tier list. He has lots of troubles facing multiple officers,
and massive crowds. And this is caused by having only one abusable method of
offense with his C4. Other things that cause this are his short reach, and
somewhat planted, officer-oriented musou. It's not hard to realize, that even
in musou rages it can be very hard to take on just two officers at once.
But then, his scattering jump charge, his fast walking speed, and musou rage
combat, are all good solutions to his weakness against multiple officers.
Because of these solutions, he still has a very good defense, but his offense
may be much slower in these situations. Place him almost wherever you want.
in Mt Qi, he may very well be placed a lot lower. But wherever he's placed,
Lu Xun should be his upper cap, and Zhang Fei probably the lower cap.
Next is Yuan Shao. His musou is almost enough to defeat regular officers
in one musou, and his musou filling methods are very similar to Xing Cai's.
He has decent musou filling ability and speed, and pretty much a one-musou-KO
offense against regular officers.
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3rd Tier: Very Good Defense; Good Offense
Sun Quan, Sima Yi, Zhang He, Nu Wa, Yuan Shao, Xiahou Dun,
Zhang Fei, Jiang Wei, Xing Cai, Lu Meng, Liu Bei, Dong Zhuo, Guan Yu
Both Sun Quan and Sima Yi have a musou that is strong enough to take out
playable officers in one musou, The reason why they are in this tier is because
they have either a slower musou filling method, or a less consistent one.
Sun Quan's only choice is often his C6, and this method suffers only slightly
from wasted musous. But against massive crowds, it's often too dangerous to
execute his C6, since the execution time could be faster. Dealing with
officers in massive crowds with Sun Quan isn't very easy, if you've failed
take an initiative to scatter the crowd before it gets too dense.
In the Battle of Shi Ting, a initial C6 to enter the crowd may not even be
enough. Sun Quan is faster than Sima Yi, in most situations as his flaw isn't
slow musou filling, but just potentially wasted musous, with his best musou
filling method. Sima Yi, simply takes some time to fill his musou. All he
needs is enough safety distance to execute his C4. But if he has to resort
to his jump charge to scatter crowds that are too close to him, his C4
may take a while to musou fill. His musou filling ability in massive
crowds however, is quite impressive, as it scattering a massive crowd
often won't matter much to delay his musou filling with his C4.
Zhang He, Liu Bei, and Nu Wa. It may be quite hard to decide
between these three, and the three other characters, Zhuge Liang, Sima Yi,
and Zuo Ci. Zhang He, Liu Bei, and Nu Wa all have musous that will kill
regular officers in one musou. Nu Wa and Liu Bei has no chance at killing
playable officers in one musou, while Zhang He is able to with fire, but it's
not very easy at all. And because of their short reach, it's often not
possible for Nu Wa and Zhang He to have normal attack preceding a musou. These
three are placed slightly lower also because of issues with slower musou
filling. Zhang He does fill very fast with a maxed out musou bar, which he
needs in order to have a one-musou-KO offense. But both Zhang He and Nu Wa
often have to waste time for leading techniques to force crowds into favorable
positions. This is largely because of their one-charge musou filling methods.
While, Liu Bei, is just another Zhou Yu, whose safest and most efficient
musou filling method is to partially fill his musou and then fill the rest with
his normal attacks or C5, or C6. It is Liu Bei's marginal reach and his
jabbing 4th normal attack that makes it very hard for him to abuse his
C5, or C6 in crowds. Zhang He needs to use his jump charge carefully to ensure
safe landing. Nu Wa just needs a crowd that is dense enough to fill her short
musou with her C1 in most situations. Nu Wa is a bit more versatile than
Zhang He and Liu Bei, because in massive crowds, she is able to use
her C3 to easy musou filling, and setting officers up perfectly, for a
true musou. Zhang He also suffers from unwanted displacement when executing
his musou against officers in massive crowds. But of course, this is a very
minor limitation, as he would want first scatter the crowd before
using his musou against an officer. Zhang He or Nu Wa or Liu Bei? Hard to
decide.
Of the two-musou-KO per officer offenses, Xiahou Dun's musou filling is the
fastest. Although the ordering from Xiahou Dun to Xing Cai is still very
arguable. Xiahou Dun has a chance of being considered with Zhang Liao, as his
musou is almost enough to kill officers in one musou with the Fire Orb, and
a C3 preceding it. This makes him a worse version of Wei Yan actually.
But with Xiahou Dun's 4th weapon, it's very hard for him to be placed that
high. Try him with fill 40 configuration, which is discussed in the full
customization section. He's a lot better with just an extra 20 fill.
Anyway, his two-musou per officer offense is still very fast, and with the
Ice Orb and his easy methods of freezing, he has pretty good chances of
killing officers in one musou. It's arguable where Zhang Fei should go. Like
Ling Tong, he has a very high officer freezing potential because of an abusable
and unblockable charge attack. However, he's far from Ling Tong's capabilities,
because Zhang Fei's method is slower by default, and he can be forced to
use his musou after his C3 which forces a two-musou per officer offense, if
ice doesn't activate. Also, Zhang Fei takes a bit more time to reposition
himself because of slower walking speed. Jiang Wei may well have the slowest
filling ability in this entire tier, because of a long musou with no fill.
Xiahou Dun has this too, but his charge attacks are a bit better and stronger.
However, Jiang Wei's placement is also very arguable. He has many ways of
freezing officers, with his C3, C5, and C6. This is quite versatile, but
none of them are outright abusable. Xiahou Dun on the other hand has much more
ease with his C3, C6, and even his unblockable C5. Jiang Wei's musou is also
very noticeably weaker than Xiahou Dun's. Xiahou Dun beats Jiang Wei in almost
all areas for defense and offense. But one thing that allows Jiang Wei's
placement to be arguable is his C1. This gives him another method for
defeating regular officers in just one musou, if he has several normal attacks
preceding it. It's not too hard to come by too, because all he needs is
a filled, or partially filled musou and an officer approaching from a distance.
Xing Cai has almost clearly the slowest musou filling method, and worst
musou filling ability.
Lu Meng comes next. His C1 is definitely an advantage, and like Jiang Wei,
it's very easy to defeat officers with just one musou. Surprisingly, Lu Meng's
musou isn't much weaker than Zhang Liao's. This is a very similar comparison
with Liu Bei's musou and the other four similar sword characters, or
Meng Huo's musou compared to Pang Tong's and Zhen Ji's. Liu Bei and Meng Huo
have a lot of extra strikes at the ending, which makes a pretty big difference
in offensive ability. But the comparison between Lu Meng and Zhang Liao is
a bit more subtle, because Lu Meng has only one extra strike. But try it out,
with their 4th weapons, they differ by a whole Tiger Amulet's worth of
attack strength, but measuring the total damage dealt in one full musou, they
are surprisingly close. Anyway, Lu Meng is placed this low because he has
no charge attacks that are useful, even in small crowds. And in massive crowds,
even though the extended flinching time makes his normal attacks offense
very safe, he may be forced to do his musou. Well, this is just a note on his
lack of flexibility. Normally in massive crowds, one would probably want to
use a musou anyway for a huge KO count. But generally, Lu Meng lacks, pretty
severely, when facing blocking officers, in even small crowds. With his long
reach, it's not as easy to creep around blocking officers. If crowd
sizes are more demanding, you may find that he'll be forced to abuse his
normal attacks for quite some time, with the officer blocking the entire time.
Like Lu Meng, and other characters that are placed a bit lower in this tier,
Dong Zhuo is placed near the bottom for lack of versatility.
Dong Zhuo often has only one method of musou filling, which often
includes his jump charge. This is a very safe and effective way to fill his
musou, but it lack consistency also because of wasted musous to save him
from danger after his jump charge. Dong Zhuo's placed lower also because he
has no chance at defeating playable officers in one musou.
As mentioned above, Guan Yu is placed in this tier because he's quite a special
case. Although he has almost no chance in killing regular officers in one
musou or one easy combo, he shouldn't be placed with the characters in the
tier below, because of how his musou keeps officers in the air. Because he
doesn't scatter officers after his musou, it's very easy to refill his musou
with his normal attacks directly after. However, he does need quite a large
crowd to make it happen. In a most or average situations, he isn't capable of
an offense that is very fast. But when crowd sizes are right, he is one of the
fastest in this tier, and even in the game. He is also very able to take on
multiple officers if there are also massive crowds present, by defeating them
in the air the entire time. Otherwise, in small crowd cases, he should attempt
his easy to execute C6 for a chance with the Ice Orb. Guan Yu can be slow,
or he can be super fast. Because his performance depends on crowd sizes,
it is very hard to place him in one definite spot in these tier lists.
One thing that's very sure is that Guan Yu is by far better and faster against
multiple officers in massive crowds, than Sun Quan and Dong Zhuo, and likely
everyone else in this tier list, but easily the slowest, in most average
situations.
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4th Tier: Very Good Defense; Decent Offense
Zhou Yu, Pang Tong, Meng Huo, Xu Huang, Yue Ying, Guan Ping, Xiao Qiao,
Sun Jian, Cao Pi, Cao Cao, Cao Ren
Another big tier. Only Zhou Yu, Cao Pi, and Cao Cao are able to kill officers
in one musou with the assistance of ice.
Zhou Yu can be considered to be a Liu Bei but with a juggling musou. His musou
filling methods are as slow as Liu Bei's, in fact, they may very well balance
to be very equal. Both should prefer to fill their musous partially with
their jump charges. They both have a musou bonus with no fill on their 4th
weapons too. Zhou Yu's advantages are that his jump charge is more horizontal,
and he has a useful musou filling running attack, while Liu Bei's advantages
are that he has two useful musou filling C5, and C6 charges. Zhou Yu's musou
filling efforts are quite consistently slower than most the characters in
the tier above. However, he has two useful methods of defeating officers in
one simple chain of attacks. The first is with Ice, through his easy to
execute C4, and the second is with his C1 fire orb.
Pang Tong's musou filling method with his C1 and first normal attack, can be
very fast. All he needs is enough distance to get it started. Then, he's the
typical two-musou-KO per officer.
Meng Huo's musou filling ability is slow, often with his jump charge for the
first bit, and then either a C3 or a C6. One other problem is that his true
musou may be too good at crowd clearing. Although there's nothing really wrong
with one on one combat, but it's ultimately a slower offense. He also has
not chance at killing officers, and especially playable officers, quickly.
His true musou against a frozen officer comes close, but doesn't quite do the
job.
I have always considered Xu Huang and Yue Ying as equals, from the time I
began writing this guide two years ago. Xu Huang has a light weapon with an
attack bonus, while Yue Ying has a medium weapon with no attack bonus, and
as you may know already, they have a very close attacking strength
rating. Many of their charge attacks are also somewhat similar, with the
most similar being C5. Both of them have their own arguments on offensive
flexibility. Xu Huang has two unblockable charge attacks, an unblockable
jump charge, and a very safe and easy to execute C3, but has long recovery
in all of his charge attacks. Yue Ying on the other is much less versatile
with charge attacks, but has a lot a flexibility and possibilities with her
normal attacks, which have fast recovery. Both have pros and cons. I'm
placing Xu Huang higher because of a consistently faster offense with his C3.
Because it's so safe to use, he can often use it before doing his musou.
Yue Ying has a bit more trouble fitting in extra attacks before a musou, or
just attacking an officer while musou filling at the same. In the end, they
both belong in this tier because they have strictly two-musou-KO per officer
offenses (or even three).
Guan Ping lacks in both defense and offense when compared to Yue Ying and
Xu Huang. Guan Ping's C4 is limited to clustered crowds only, which often
means he'll need to lead peons that are scatter about, if he wants a good
defense. Still, his C3 and C4 will work very well against small crowds.
The important thing to remember with his C4 is to make sure that he'll end
up with a filled musou, because of the long recovery time. This also means
that Guan Ping will waste more musous on average, than Xu Huang and Yue Ying.
His C6 is very useful against officers when in massive crowds.
Xiao Qiao's placement is also one that almost be anywhere in this tier.
She is the only one in this tier who is capable of killing officers in one
true musou. But it's not her musou filling ability that gives her a slow
offense, but the offensive tricks she has to use to setup for her musou,
if you want it to be successful. And this requires combinations of C3, and C4.
She isn't considered to have a perfect defense, because she needs to rely on
close combat for a good offense. She is placed in this tier, because
at a glance, she is a lot slower than Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei, Sima Yi, and Zuo
Ci, whom are all also one-musou-KO per officer characters that take a bit of
time to musou fill.
Sun Jian's new Dragon Arms configuration is what enables him to be placed this
high in the tier list, even with the weakest weapon in the game. Despite his
weak weapon, his musou is strong by default because it is a grounded one.
His placement is simple. His musou filling ability and speed is average.
And he needs two musous to kill officers. Although, if crowd sizes aren't too
threatening, his light weight attacking speed makes it quite easy for him to
get lots of preceding normal attacks before his musou.
Again, because Cao Pi and Cao Cao are able to kill officers in one musou with
the help of ice, their placement in this tier can be argued. But the
reason why they are in this tier is because of a less efficient offense.
They both have a useful charge attack, their C5's, but both of them can't be
executed when crowds get too large. Their normal attacks are very protective
and very good for musou filling, but not having safe and abusable charge
attacks, their style is very similar to Sun Quan's and Dong Zhuo's.
And it should be clear for Sun Quan and Dong Zhuo to be placed an entire tier
higher because they have much stronger musous. Thus, Cao Pi and Cao Cao, in
massive crowds are often forced to waste their musous for defense.
Cao Pi is once again placed higher because of his 84% freezing strategy,
and a longer musou bar with roughly the same musou filling potential as Cao Cao.
Just like in Dynasty Warriors 5, Cao Ren has a very special defense. His bottom
placement is because of likely the slowest offense (but still close).
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5th Tier: Good Defense; Somewhat Slow Offense
Zhen Ji, Sun Shang Xiang
Zhen Ji's Dragon Arms configuration allows her to have quite a fast offense
because of continuous 360 degree attacks. The problem with her is that
her C1 + jump charge combo doesn't musou fill. So she will often need to
abuse this combo until crowds are small, or until she can kill officers in
one on one combat. She is best in small crowds, and massive crowds. When
crowds are massive and dense, she can use her normal attacks to fill her musou
and then abuse her musou for a large KO count. But crowds really need to
be quite small, or quite massive for her to have a fast offense.
The only reason Sun Shang Xiang is placed a tier lower than characters like
Xu Huang and Yue Ying, is because her musou is very poor at juggling. This
means that she is very dependant on ice. And, her freezing methods are
mediocre. Thus, her offense is either very fast, or very slow.
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6th Tier: Good Defense; Slow Offense
Huang Zhong, Fu Xi, Xiahou Yuan, Taishi Ci
The order in this tier is very hard to determine, because offensive styles are
very unique, and all the characters have a very wide range of offensive
speeds, from fast to slow.
Huang Zhong is the only one in this tier with a very consistent or constant
offense. It's simply abused archery and musou, and then carry on. It should
be easy to see that Huang Zhong's offense is a lot slower than all the other
characters above him in this tier list.
Fu Xi and Xiahou Yuan, can potentially have a fast offense, against frozen
officers. But it's quite hard for Fu Xi to freeze officers because of his
slow style of attacking. He may take much longer than Huang Zhong, or much
faster. The same goes for Xiahou Yuan. It's best to use Xiahou Yuan's musou
for defense, with a shortened tapped musou. This is because he has no fill
and a long musou bar on his 4th weapon. But if he does this, his archery,
and distanced jump charge, are very good ways of musou filling. Even though
close combat is often a must for Xiahou Yuan, always with a partially
filled musou, his defense is quite good now, with the extended flinching time,
making his normal attacks much more protective. Take your pick on Fu Xi or
Xiahou Yuan. They both have a style that is for expert players, and is
difficult to master. Both are capable of a fast offense, but lacks consistency.
Being able to choose whether to scatter the enemy or not is something that is
very useful in Xiahou Yuan's C6, because, if he doesn't then he benefits with
a fast recovery time.
Taishi Ci is placed this low because his offense consists of very many forced
musous. The reason why it is possible for him to have a very good defense
is his high fill with often a couple of charge attacks always clumped together.
Taishi Ci is also a character for experts in way, because it's very important to
master his jump charge to purposely miss officers, but have it land just
in front of them. This will give him a chance to do a grounded musou.
He needs the Speed Scroll to be able to run fast enough to not be surrounded,
and he needs the Dragon Arms to be able to chain together his strong charge
attacks for high fill. This leaves out the True Way of Musou item which
limits his strong musou severely. I'm sure many people can anticipate another
huge promotion for Taishi Ci in the Full Customization Tier List. To
start things off, he'll have a light weapon which is stronger than his
medium 4th weapon, more stats devoted to musou filling, and speed on his weapon
to free an item slot for the True Way of Musou.
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7th Tier: Good Defense; Very Slow Offense
Xu Zhu
Not surprisingly, Xu Zhu still has a very slow offense. Nothing has changed
for him, except that he's a bit safer with the extended flinching time,
and his musou is 1.5 times stronger with the True Way of Musou.
The characters under Xu Zhu start to have defenses that are poor enough to
make Chaos Mode challenging. This is a quite a big change from Dynasty Warriors
5, as the top 44 characters in Xtreme Legends are capable of surviving
Chaos Mode easily when mastered.
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8th Tier: Mediocre Defense; Slow Walking Speed
Dian Wei
Dian Wei has improved a lot from Dynasty Warriors 5, because the extended
flinching time allows for much safer execution of his C6. Being able to
execute his C6 also gives him a much higher filling potential. With his
short reach, the one hole in his normal attacks is his fourth one, but
the longer flinching time has helped a lot to make it less risky. It still
however, remains as a defensive flaw, as well as the exection of his C6 in
massive crowds. This is the reason why I recommend the Ginseng for faster
fill in massive crowds, with simply his first three normal attacks and perhaps
C4. His slow walking speed even with the Speed Scroll does mean that his
red health strategy isn't perfect, but it is still good, and at least a lot
better than Zhang Jiao's.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9th Tier: Poor Defense; Inability to Fight in Massive Crowds
Zhu Rong, Sun Ce, Huang Gai, Diao Chan
As covered in their analyses, these characters still have difficulties
The order here is determined by a decrease in both defensive and offensive
potential. Zhu Rong is the only one with useful distanced combat strategies,
with her C3. Sun Ce's charge attacks are a bit more defensive than anything
Huang Gai can hope achieve. Huang Gai has many risks when going through his
third and fourth normal attacks. Sun Ce's and Huang Gai's offense though are
quite close. Both can freeze officers quite easily and both musous will
deal heavy damage then. Although Diao Chan's most defensive method of attacking
without her musou is her C3 used properly, even it has unavoidable flaws,
because of both slow attacking speed and short reach. She does however,
have a very effective red health strategy. In red health, her placement can be
shifted to Huang Zhong's tier, with very good defense, but still somewhat
slow offense.
Two things that all four of these characters have in common are poor
musou filling ability and severe limitations when facing massive crowds.
They all also have short reach, except for Huang Gai, although he can probably
be considered to have short reach since his third and fourth normal attacks
are so dangerous to use.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10th Tier: Very Poor Defense; Inability to Fight in Massive Crowds;
Inability to Survive against Multiple Officers; No Good Red
Health Strategy
Zhang Jiao
I think the tier outline covers it all. Zhang Jiao's defense isn't too bad
because he has tricks with his jump attack, first normal attack, and C1.
But he's even more inept that the characters in the 9th tier against
massive crowds. And of course the main thing that puts him in his own
bottom tier is his poor musou. His bad defense with his musou is discussed
in the Dynasty Warriors 5 Tier List discussion. Nothing has changed for him,
so please refer to that discussion.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
____________
9.01 - Lu Bu [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
Not much of a change. The swapping of the True Way of Musou for the Dragon
Amulet gives him roughly the same offensive capabilities, but slightly better
defense because of faster musou filling.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Lu Bu still stands to be the mightiest warrior in the game. Lu Bu remains
arguably the best, because of his well-roundedness and consistency.
As discussed in his tier list reasoning, his offensive consistency is
unparalleled. His C3 guarantees safe defense and almost always a filled musou.
With the ending being unblockable, officers are always vulnerable to free
setups for his true musou. Since his C3 is so safe and easy to execute, it's
always very easy to have it preceding his true musou. This allows him to
be able to consistently defeat even playable officers in one fast and simple
chain of C3 + True Musou, with a juggling musou.
Because of the longer flinching time, his C5 will now connect
with more reliability. His C4 and C6 attacks still have
execution times that are too long to be useful. But ultimately, his C3 is the
most abusable, against both crowds and generals.
Because his C3 contributes to both offense and defense, and
being the most effective charge attack against both crowds and generals,
Lu Bu has no need for the Dragon Arms. He is nevertheless, very compatible
with them because of the wide range and long reach of his jump attack. Lu Bu
is also capable of the perfect defense in the tier of Zhou Tai, Zhou Yun, and
Ma Chao. The Way of Musou should still be the most useful
5th item for Lu Bu, for the fire, and double 360 degree finisher. Use the
human shield technique when there are archers around, if crowd sizes allow
for it. This will ensure safety during his C3. The only difficulties he'll have
is directly after his musou ending, but the chances are slim, and he can take
the hits anyway.
Lastly, the four characters that were able to use their bows during their C1's
(and C5 in Huang Zhong's case), namely Lu Bu, Gan Ning, Huang Zhong and
Xiahou Yuan, are now unable to do it, in Xtreme Legends. Just an interesting
fact, as it doesn't change their movesets or offensive/defensive strategies
at all.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
9.02 - Zhou Tai [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Dragon Arms
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Light Orb/Fire Orb
This is by far the best configuration for Zhou Tai. The Dragon Arms gives him
a perfect defense. But he's a lot less mobile when compared to Zhao Yun and
Ma Chao. In massive crowds, it will often mean the he'll have to force his
C1 many times before he's safe enough to do anything else. This configuration
gives Zhou Tai the best defense in the game, and one of the best offenses.
Now that Zhou Tai has the Way of Musou item in the recommended configuration,
the Fire Orb seems a bit useless. The Light Orb is also not too beneficial.
But here are the facts to help you decide. The Fire Orb obviously still gives
a small edge with all of his charge attacks for minor damage. The best reason
to give Zhou Tai the Fire Orb to enable him to do his jump charge after his
C3. (his C5 works too of course, but it is a lot slower) The Light Orb just
gives him a bit more flexibility with his C3 in close combat. Officers to walk
right into his C3 when coming from a distance, but with the Light Orb you can
still abuse his C3 to break through guards, to set up nicely for his true musou.
Both give minor benefits. Think for yourself :)
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Zhou Tai's gets a huge promotion, and this is primarily
because of the Dragon Arms. First, Zhou Tai's C1 grants
invincibility, but it cannot be used to serve as a useful escaping move,
unlike Zhao Yun's and Lu Bu's normal charges, because of very long recovery
time. With the Dragon Arms however, this recovery time can be eliminated, by
doing a quick air attack. Zhou Tai's compatibility with the Dragon Arms is
accented even more, by the usefulness of his jump attack, as it has long
reach, and good range. With the Dragon Arms, Zhou Tai can abuse his
C1 with a quick jump attack after it. The distanced covered during his C1
is enough to eliminate threats from behind. His quick jump attack with it's long
reach eliminates threats in front. Zhou Tai's very capable of this perfect
defense, but he may need to do this many times in massive crowds. The
quick jump attack after his C1 does eliminate threats in front of him,
but it's only immediately in front of him. But the point is, he's capable of
a perfect defense, because he can execute his C1 just as he lands from his
jump attack.
The omission of the Wind Scroll doesn't hurt him too much. If you want to
include the Wind Scroll then his offense is consistently the slowest in his
tier. With his new high defense Dragon Arms combo, and the extended flinching
time, Zhou Tai's able to stop directly after his fourth normal attack to start
his C1 with the Dragon Arms. His reach is still quite safe for this method to
work in moderate crowds. He will have to stick with just his C1 for musou
filling in massive crowds though.
The Dragon Arms will also cancel the long recovery times of his C3 and C4. This
makes his C4 much safer to execute. His C3, is extremely abusable,
because when done at a distance, officers will walk straight into it. It is
now even more abusable, since you don't have to worry about the recovery time,
if his musou doesn't fill up completely.
Another advantage with the Dragon Arms, is that now you can use his jump charge
directly after his C3. This is useful for one on one combat with
isolated generals. This is the only reason to give Zhou Tai the Fire Orb.
With the Dragon Arms and the True Way of Musou, Zhou Tai has no flaws that
stand out. He has long reach, safe attacking speed, an invincible attack,
an unblockable attack (although not very useful), a one-hit-KO combo for
regular generals, and a fast duelling offense with his jump charge and the Fire
Orb. His high tier placement is well deserved.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
9.03 - Zhao Yun [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Way of Musou
Dragon Arms/Way of Musou
Ice Orb
Zhao Yun will need the Dragon Arms to qualify for this theoretical tier.
With it, he has a perfect defense, that is attainable by only a few characters
in the game. The effectiveness of the Dragon Arms can be seen in a stage
such as Mt Qi. Even Mai Castle can qualify for a good stage to show how
great his defense is. Without the Dragon Arms, he falls to many placements
lower. However, in many stages with few archers, or if the stage is just
relatively easier, the Way of Musou is the better item, for a better offense.
Still stick with the Ice Orb. With the Dragon Arms, he now has an easier time
with freezing officers, because of charge recovery cancellation.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Because of the new True Way of Musou item, Zhao Yun is now capable of defeating
regular officers from full health in one continous chain of attacks, but
only with his true musou. Sneak in as many normal attacks as safely possible -
preferrably all normal attacks except for the last evolution attack - and then
unleash a full true musou. Regular officers should be very close to being
defeated after his true musou. Simply follow up with one or two extra attacks
after his true musou to complete the combo. Because Zhao Yun's true musou
allows for juggling directly after, this can be considered one chain of attacks.
Of course, there are many variations of this sort of combo, but it is just so
useful, because of how easily it can be done. But then, even with the
Dragon Arms, his offense isn't much slower, even with a two musou offense,
because his musou filling ability is so good.
There are alternative offensive methods with Zhao Yun, now that he has
the Dragon Arms. The scattering caused by his C1 will often allow for brief
duelling situations. Even if this theoretical tier didn't exist, Zhao Yun would
be at the top of a two-musou-KO per officer tier, or perhaps even at the bottom
of a one-musou-KO per officer tier. His offense is not far from Zhang Liao's
at all. The Dragon Arms allows him to have so much freedom and flexibility,
Zhao Yun's truly a special case because other characters are often analysed
with a more rigid system of determining offensive speed by number of musous
per officers. This has to exist because these more "rigid" characters have
almost a distinct musou filling phase, and then a musou phase, like Zhang Liao.
Wei Yan is a bit better because his C3 can very often be attached to his
musou, as practically one whole string of continuous attacks, if the crowd
sizes are large and/or dense enough. Zhao Yun's offense has so many
possibilities with the Dragon Arms.
Again, if generals are blocking, use his C5 to make it useless.
If the general is successfully iced, then he/she is as good as dead.
But this is obviously limited to smaller crowd sizes, or when he's not
surrounded. Because of the ability to cancel the recovery time, his C5 may be
a bit easier to use now.
Because the flinching time is now extended, his C6 MAY connect
successfully without generals blocking. It is somewhat hard to describe how
to manipulate it properly, but you simply need to control his fifth normal
attack correctly so that it strikes the general as late as possible, and then
his C6 strike as early as possible. Freezing generals with his
C6, is shown in Zhao Yun's video clip. Since his C6 is
now elemental, it is almost as useful as his C4.
His C6 being elemental adds a bit more elegance to his versatility.
Zhao Yun is still however, a relatively poor character for freezing officers.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________
9.04 - Ma Chao [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Nothing much has changed for Ma Chao in Xtreme Legends. The Herbal Remedy or
Ginseng is exchanged for the True Way of Musou, which is a very practical trade.
Now that the flinching time is slightly longer, his C6 is slightly
easier to pull off.
Ma Chao now has two other characters who have joined him in the perfect defense
tier.
The extended flinching time makes it much easier for him to abuse his normal
attacks. His fourth normal attack is pretty much 360 degrees. With its fast
recovery, his first two normal attacks don't seem to be much of a problem
anymore because of their less reliable range. Recall that in Dynasty Warriors 5
with the shorter flinching time, it's much harder to abuse his normal attacks
continuously. But he still had a very protective method of attacking on ground
because he can always escape after his fourth normal attack with his jump
charge. But in Xtreme Legends now, he's upgrade actually quite a bit.
Being able to abuse normal attacks safely means much fast musou filling
ability, and being able to execute his C6 much more easily in large crowd
sizes, means so much for Ma Chao's offensive speed.
His C5 is also much easier to execute too because of the extended flinching
time.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_____________
9.05 - Lu Xun [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
True Way of Musou
Wind Scroll
Ginseng
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Like Zhang Liao, Lu Xun is greatly improved because his musou strikes don't
get blocked anymore. Having a grounded long musou, Lu Xun's officer killing
ability is excellent.
The same strategies apply. Musou fill with his C3 or jump charge. And bring
officers to their doom with his musou.
The extended flinching time now enables his C3 to execute fast enough so that
it doesn't get blocked by officers. This means a lot for Lu Xun, because it's
easy to do his C3 preceding his musou against playable officers. Back in
Dynasty Warriors 5, he would need to rely on the extra fire depletion with his
C1 to deal more musou damage. His C1 method is still a very good one
against playable officers. Both have their pros and cons, but his C3 is much
easier to execute, and can be done in more situations. When playable officers
are approaching from a distance and accompanied by a massive crowd, simply use
his jump charge for scattering purposes. After that, it should be easy to use
his C3, and then a musou for a very damaging offense. His C1 would actually be
a better choice if the timing is correct. This would yield a faster
offense for him.
Both the extended flinching time and the True Way of Musou have made Lu Xun
a very high tier character.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________
9.06 - Wei Yan [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Ginseng
Fire Orb/Ice Orb
Wei Yan still works well with both orbs. Since it allows him to kill
officers in one musou with the Fire Orb, it means a lot for offensive speed,
and makes it very worth equipping. Although only with his first two normal
attacks and full C3, and a full regular musou, can he defeat regular officers
in one musou. It takes exactly that many hits, with the stats on his 4th weapon.
So it's a little on the edge if you miss even one strike with his musou. This
is why the Ice Orb is still not a bad choice. It does depend on the stage
though. It sounds a bit tedious, but it's very easy for Wei Yan to fit in this
combo in almost any situation. But think for yourself on this one. With the
Fire Orb, he can potentially kill regular officers in one, easy to access,
chain of attacks, but then has no chance against playable officers. With the
Ice Orb though, he has consistently a 60% chance to kill any officer in one
musou (as long as it's not the commander or a beefed up officer like Pang De).
But since most stages have mainly regular officers, the Fire Orb should be the
best choice for maximization, and all you really have to master is his musou.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Well, the biggest change for Wei Yan would be his Fire Orb configuration
discussed above. Having such an abusable chain of attacks that can kill regular
officers in just one simple chain, that works in very many situations or
crowd sizes, is very valuable, and is enough to promote Wei Yan to a higher
tier.
Another important change, is that because of the extended flinching time,
Wei Yan doesn't suffer from the "out of sync" effect with his second and third
normal attacks anymore.
His C6 is also improved because of the extended flinching time, for easier
execution.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
9.07 - Gan Ning [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Dragon Arms
Ice Orb
Before Xtreme Legends, I had analysed the differences between his C5, and C6.
His C5 has risky execution but has fast recovery; his C6 is the other way
around with invincible execution but a somewhat slow recovery. With the Dragon
Arms his C6 is clearly the best charge attack, and now it can be abused to no
end with very little flaws. The Dragon Arms also allows for a safe recovery
after his C1. This makes his C1 a lot easier to use, and also very abusable.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Gan Ning's musou with the True Way of Musou item can now almost kill officers
in one musou, without ice. This is very valuable since he doesn't need to
rely on ice anymore to defeat officers quickly. The best and fastest offense
is abusing his C6 and musou. Please take the time to view my "How to Use Gan
Ning's musou" to see how to control it without ice. The cumulative damage
dealt is incredible. The extra damage needed to kill officers from full
health if his musou is used perfectly, is approximately equal to two C6's.
Given these facts, Gan Ning basically has two offensive options if we are
assuming maximization of offense. Execute his C6 to serve as both an offense
and musou filling. If the officer is iced, then the officer dead. If the officer
had blocked his normal attacks, and his C6 (remember that it can be consistently
unblockable) does not freeze, wait until the officer gets up before unleashing
his musou. And after his musou, it should take just one or two C1's to finish
the job. In the case that an officer doesn't block his normal attacks before
his C6, then his musou might be strong enough to kill to officer.
Lastly, the four characters that were able to use their bows during their C1's
(and C5 in Huang Zhong's case), namely Lu Bu, Gan Ning, Huang Zhong and
Xiahou Yuan, are now unable to do it, in Xtreme Legends. Just an interesting
fact, as it doesn't change their movesets or offensive/defensive strategies
at all.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_________________
9.08 - Zhang Liao [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Ginseng
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Because of the True Way of Musou and the extended flinching time, Zhang Liao's
offense is much better. The True Way of Musou makes his musou strong
enough to eliminate regular generals in one attack combo very easy; however,
his musou alone won't get the job done. All you need, though, is just a few
normal attacks before unleashing his full regular musou. Doing about three
normal attacks is good enough
Now that the flinching time is longer, there are no more flaws in Zhang Liao's
musou. The out of sync effect doesn't matter anymore, and the ending of his
regular musou can now hit generals without them blocking. This is very valuable
as his musou is enhanced greatly, from Dynasty Warriors 5. He now doesn't need
to equip the Way of Musou item, and this gives him a huge promotion, as he is
now a very fast offensive character, with very good defense.
His C5 can be used against officers now, as part of an attack combo after his
fourth normal attack, although it still isn't much of a useful charge attack.
His C6 is much easier to execute against officers because of extended
flinching time.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________
9.09 - Pang De [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Light Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Nothing too, has changed much for Pang De.
The same abusable offensive methods apply. Fill his musou, negate a general's
block/guard with his unblockable jump charge, or with his C3 and unleash his
true musou.
Pang De's benefits only slightly from the longer flinching time. Generals
can't block in between Pang De's normal attack string. (they very rarely do)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________
9.10 - Da Qiao [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Being the only character in the game with a heavy 4th weapon and extra
attack bonus on it, Da Qiao is the strongest character in the game. This
makes her musou very damaging, even though it is a juggling one. With the
True Way of Musou, her true musou itself will defeat regular generals from
full health. If you can manage to freeze a regular general (which is
unnecessary in XL now) it takes something like only four musou strikes to get
the job done. Even so, the Ice Orb is still a recommendation for high defense
generals.
Because her fourth and fifth normal attacks have very fast recovery time, and
her first normal attack is practically instantaneous, attacking generals
with her normal attacks continuously by using combo strings of four or
five normal attacks is possible. The extended flinching time is what makes
this possible. The obvious flaw that prevents her from being able to abuse
this is her short reach. Also, her fifth normal attack actually has slightly
longer recovery than her fourth; attacking generals continuously is
quite consistently possible with her first four normal attacks. Doing it
with her first five normal attack is still possible, but not fullproof.
Because of the new non-flinching property for heavy weapon wielders, Da Qiao
benefits slightly with a better defense.
Da Qiao has an amazing offensive character, but she has similar flaws as
Lu Meng in defense. Her heavy weapon does indeed give her a lot of advantages,
but it presents the disadvantage of much longer execution and recovery times
in her charge attacks. Like Lu Meng, her charge attacks don't have enough
versatility or reliability, and this often restricts her to only normal
attacks. This isn't an issue when crowd sizes are compromising: however,
in massive crowds, many defensive risks come into play. Despite her short
reach, Da Qiao is more stable with her normal attacks because her normal attack
string has the best range in the game, but it's still easy to get hit during
her normal attacks, but only in very large crowds.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
__________________
9.11 - Zhuge Liang [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Speed Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Orb choice is irrelevant
Like many other characters, Zhuge Liang gains simply a stronger musou
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Because of Zhuge Liang's one and only jump charge strategy with fast walking
speed, he doesn't benefit from the extended flinching time. It does affect
his charge attack executions, but I won't waste your time with it, because
afterall, we are talking about character maximization.
Having a stronger musou now enables him to kill higher defense characters.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_____________
9.12 - Zuo Ci [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Zuo Ci is now able to kill regular officers from full health, in just one true
musou. This is very nice since his 4th weapon doesn't have attack on it. He is
able to do this because he has a strong musou by default, much like Zhang Fei
and Taishi Ci. His musou filling ability is also very easy. The Ice Orb is
still a recommendation for double musou damage against high defense generals.
Zuo Ci only lacks in offensive speed when compared to the other high defense,
fast offense, characters in his tier, because his C4, being the most ideal for
musou filling, is often a dangerous option in close combat.
Musou filling isn't difficult for Zuo Ci, but would be much easier if his
weapon had an extra attack bonus on it, and if it were light weight.
(refer to his analysis in section 10)
Zuo Ci's close combat skills are still very dependable. The same strategy of
five normal attacks and then jump charge for an escape, still applies,
and is in fact a lot easier to do because of the extended flinching time.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
9.13 - Ling Tong [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Ling Tong undergoes almost no change. Just like everyone else, he
benefits from the True Way of Musou for a faster offense.
The extended flinching time does indeed allow for some minor normal attack
abusing. But the point is, a maximized Ling Tong is all about his C4.
The strategy with Ling Tong is the same. C4 should always be his initial
offense against officers for maximization. Because Ling Tong's the only one
capable of a fast and abusable charge attack that is unblockable (Zhang Fei
is too, and is the closest to Ling Tong's offensive style, but is still far
from it), his offense is very very fast and freezing chances are more frequent.
This is why he's a lot better and faster than other characters who are also
two-musou-KO per officer characters, that also needs ice for to kill officers
in one musou, for example Xiahou Dun. Do roughly three to five C5's on
officers. His musou should be saved for when the Ice kicks in. The probability
of not freezing at all within the first five C4's is very low. But after about
four or five C4's the officer's health is low enough to not need ice for his
true musou to finish the officer off.
His analysis here is practically a reiteration of his maximized offesive
strategy.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
9.14 - Yuan Shao [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Dragon Arms
Ice Orb
Yuan Shao is another character who is compatible with the Dragon Arms, and
this is because of his useful escaping jump charge.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Like many other characters with strong musous, Yuan Shao and Liu Bei can
kill regular generals from full health in just one musou. This is valuable
because when not fighting generals, all you have to do is musou fill, safely.
The Dragon Arms works very well with Yuan Shao's C3. The ending of it is
often too dangerous to execute in large crowds, without the Dragon Arms.
Now, Yuan Shao is able to have a very good defense because he can eliminate
the charge recovery of his C3. This method is also very fast for musou filling.
Like Nu Wa, try to musou fill against officers in crowds, to get a little bit
of initial hits, because without the Way of Musou, his musou isn't quite enough
to kill officers from full health in one musou.
His C6 should still be used when given the chance for safe execution.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
9.15 - Sun Quan [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Ginseng
Light Orb/Fire Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Sun Quan is much better in Xtreme Legends, and it's again because of the
extended flinching time. It's much easier now to get to his C6 safely.
His C4 is still risky if crowds are too large. Like the five similar sword
characters, Sun Quan is more able to abuse his first three normal attacks
safely now, but still works only in somewhat small crowd sizes. The
extended flinching time also allows for the ending of his regular musou
to connect without any interruptions.
The True Way of Musou now enables Sun Quan to defeat officers in one swift
musou. His defense is a lot better now that it's much easier to execute
his C6 safely, and just much easier musou filling in general. The recommendation
of the Light Orb is to allow his C6 to scatter to full effect. There's no
reason to give him the Ice Orb anyway. With this configuration, he'll only
be doing his true musou in musou rages, and his true musou is easily strong
enough to kill officers without the need of ice for double damage. Now that
Sun Quan's C6 is elemental, it's a bit safer when used against blocking
officers. However, it can be a disadvantage at times, because if he does have
a filled musou, and no peons are in front of the blocking officer,
you'd want his C6 to scatter everything around the blocking officer, and
allow the officer to successfully block his C6. This way, it's a perfect
setup for his musou. This is the only reason to go with the Fire Orb.
Light Orb is the best defensive choice, but even when Sun Quan doesn't have
a filled musou and he's up against a blocking officer with the Fire Orb
equipped, facing the other way to steer his C6 away from the officer is
always an option. However, it's still quite easy to get hit after doing this.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________
9.16 - Sima Yi [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Speed Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou/Wind Scroll
Ice Orb
I still recommend the Speed Scroll as an important for Sima Yi, because it
allows him to run fast enough to use his jump charge with full consistency.
Both the Way of Musou and Wind Scroll have little benefits. Now with the
True Way of Musou his musou is strong enough to kill officers easily, so
the unblockable ending of his true musou may not be needed.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
The extended flinching time allows all of his charge attacks to connect safely
without being blocked. This is quite a big difference because none of them
can be done with full consistency in Dynasty Warriors 5. But sadly, the
advantage is quite minimal because his charge attacks aren't that great,
and being able to hit officers with them doesn't mean much for his offense.
The one worth considering is his C4. In Dynasty Warriors 5, the execution was
such that it would sometimes hit officers, and sometimes not. Now, it simply
works.
Otherwise, nothing has changed for Sima Yi. He is still best with musou filling
with distanced attacks, and then killing officers easily with his, now
stronger musou.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
9.17 - Zhang He [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Dragon Amulet
Fire Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Equip the Fire Orb on Zhang He to give him a chance at defeating playable
officers in one musou. Without fire, his very long musou is strong enough to
take out regular officers.
As covered in section 8, the thing to learn when using Zhang He is to unlearn
the popular method of using normal attacks, and charge attack combos.
With other tier lists that focus more on overall versatility, Zhang He becomes
one of the worst characters, because he has short reach, average range
in his normal attacks, a juggling true musou, and many hops in his attacks.
However, this idea of overall disadvantages in his versatility isn't an issue
at all, and shouldn't be considered for tier list analyses, simply because
they can all be avoid almost completely. Similarly, Ling Tong can avoid all his
other poor charge attacks by simply using his C4 all the time, and
thus, the disadvantages in his other charge attacks are completely
negligible. Abusing Zhang He's jump charge, and occasional combos consisting of
his jump charge, C1, C3, and musou, give him an above
average offense and a high tier defense. His jump charge can be safely abused
if you use it properly to ensure that he lands always in a safe situation
after it.
Something worth considering with Zhang He, is the issue of ease. Ease is
a minor aspect by the definition of my tier list, but still an important one.
His musou can be considered to lack reliability simply because it requires
mastery to control to use effectively. Nevertheless, Zhang He when mastered,
still has the offensive capabilities and defensive reliability, of the
characters in his tier.
The extended flinching time now allows Zhang He's C6 to connect
successfully when fighting generals. The execution time is still somewhat
dangerous, so his C6 doesn't have perfect consistency, but it is
possible. Also, with the Ice Orb equipped, you will have a higher chance of
freezing generals, because his C6 consists of two charges.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
____________
9.18 - Nu Wa [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
More accurately, the Rapier Moveset. This moveset is a very popular one
and very fun to use.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 34
Medium Weight
Charge 15
Fill 19
Bow 16
Speed 15
Attack 19
This weapon is probably the most compatible with it's owner, in the game.
Nu Wa (this is what I'm going to call this moveset from now on) is best with
a short musou bar, and very high fill. The high fill and attack bonuses on
her weapon are very advantageous. The Speed is also a necessity to be able to
run away from crowds. With her 4th weapon, her speed seem just good enough.
Her offense is dominantly her C1 for musou filling, and having a charge bonus
on this weapon enhances it slightly. Nu Wa won't benefit much from a fifth
attribute on a weapon, so the Bow bonus doesn't really matter. Although,
Defense would be the next best choice.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Sroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Light Orb
These items should be self-explanitory. A configuration with Ginseng though,
is not a bad idea. This will give him almost unbeatable defense with such high
fill with her C1, but she is unable to kill officers in one musou now.
The Light Orb is important for an alternative offensive method with her C3.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Everything about Nu Wa's moveset is speed. Not even Ling Tong deserves this
statement of praise. Nu Wa's charge attacks all have fast execution and
recovery. But sadly, like other characters with short reach, such as Sima Yi,
she is limited to a few methods of offense for a maximized performance.
Her most useful and abusable offensive method is her C1. Even with fill 20,
her three parted C1 is often enough to fill her short musou completely.
This naturally gives her a very good defense. Many people may have found that
it's hard if her C1 doesn't fill her musou. There are too important points to
know for mastering her C1. It must be done with a bit of distance from the
enemy. The distance required is roughly the length of her normal attack reach,
with the Wind Scroll equipped. If her C1 is executed against enemies that
are too close to her, it's easy for her C1 to miss. This can create a very
dangerous recovery. Secondly, always attack in a circle with her C1, and
preferably in a clockwise direction. This is the safest method for using her
C1. It should be only in massive crowds where she would be forced to use her
musou because of an unsafe situation after her C1 recovery.
Her second useful method of offense is with her C3. With the Light Orb, her
C3 will guarantee a perfect setup for her true musou. Her musou works
exactly like Zhang He's or Pang De's, in that the officer is still grounded,
but in the process of falling. This is very useful because using her musou
against stunned or disoriented officers will still result in a grounded
musou for full damage. Her C3 is very protective, and a very good choice for
when she has a filled, or partially filled musou. Since Nu Wa's full true musou
isn't quite enough to defeat regular officers in one musou, the last unblockable
slash of her C3 is often very useful. Also, because her musou isn't quite
strong enough to kill officers in one single musou, it's recommended to musou
fill while dealing damage to officers with her C1.
Another mild alternative method of attacking is with her first normal attack.
Although it's not as abusable as Zhang Jiao's or Pang Tong's, because of
shorter reach and less attack range.
All other charge attacks should be done leisurely against isolated officers, or
small crowds only.
Something that is very useful is that her C2 is elemental. Only the two new
movesets, Nu Wa and Fu Xi have this. It's not of much use for Nu Wa because
she doesn't need ice, and she's best when opponents are on the ground.
Nu Wa's C5 is her only unblockable move. But again, it's not safe enough to
use in crowds.
One small disadvantage is that her counterattack has very little reach
and range, and terrible scattering ability. This affects her C1 offense to
a small degree because people who are good at counterattacking may find it
easy to counterattack after her C1 in dangerous situations. But, it's not a
good move to do with Nu Wa. Nu Wa will have to live with the limitation in
massive crowds because of forced musous.
Because her goal is to fill her musou with her C1 quickly. The most defensive
method is to lead enemies. Her offensive speed/limitations, is thus very
comparable to Zhang He's. After her scattering true musou, enemies will be
scattered all over the place. Using her C1 directly after may be quite risky.
Try to spend some time with leading techniques until crowds start to get a bit
more dense.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________
9.19 - Liu Bei [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Like many other characters with strong grounded musous, Liu Bei can
kill regular generals from full health in just one musou.
Again, nothing much has changed. Despite not having an extra attack bonus
on his 4th weapon, his musou length plus the fire from his true
musou, is just enough to kill regular generals from full health.
He should still resume his jump charge method for safe musou filling, when
facing large crowds.
The extended flinching time helps a lot to enable Liu Bei to use his C5, and
C6 in a larger range of crowd sizes. His first three normal attacks can even
be used now becaue of dependable reach and range, and fast recovery. But this
strategy only works in small crowd sizes.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_________________
9.20 - Xiahou Dun [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Ginseng
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
In Xtreme Legends, both of the strikes of Xiahou Dun's C6 are
elemental. This makes it so much easier to freeze generals with his it. In
Dynasty Warriors 5, it is much harder because the first strike is
non-elemental, and hits enemies into the air. Also, because of the extended
flinching time, his C4 is able to connect successfully without
generals blocking it. This means that Xiahou Dun can attempt to freeze generals
with his C3, C4, C5, and C6, although his C4 is less preferrable. When
regular generals are frozen, they will be defeated easily in one musou.
About Xiahou Dun's compatibility with the Dragon Arms: He doesn't benefit
as much as other characters like Zhou Tai, but there are valuable advantages.
The recovery time of his C6 can be eliminated, in the case that it
doesn't fill his musou. The Dragon Arms also works well with his C3
but isn't much of an advantage since his C3 has fair recovery time
in the first place. The biggest advantage with equipping the Dragon Arms is
likely for his C1. With the Dragon Arms, his C1 can
serve as a decent escape move. Eliminating the recovery time of the second
strike of his C1 is very useful. This makes his C1 an
abusable musou filling attack, like Gan Ning's C1. In the end, the Dragon Arms
adds a touch of flexibility.
The extended flinching time also makes his C3 safer to use in massive crowds
for easily musou filling, easy freezing chance, and musou setup.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
9.21 - Zhang Fei [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Speed Scroll
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
With the True Way of Musou equipped, Zhang Fei can now defeat regular generals
quickly in one swift chain of attacks, with the assistance of ice.
The extended flinching time means a lot for Zhang Fei's defense. Just a
fraction of a second longer in flinching time can upgrade a moveset so much.
Zhang Fei now has almost no risks during the rushing sequence of his C3.
This means so much because all he has to make sure of now, is getting to his
C3 safely. And this, is also possible simply because of the extended flinching
time. With the Speed Scroll equipped, his walking speed should be fast enough
to allow him to enter all crowds with his first normal attack, without
threats behind him. The flinching time caused by his first normal attack
is enough to set up safely for his C3. Like Jiang Wei, simply a slight
increase in the flinching time has upgraded Zhang Fei's moveset a lot.
All of Zhang Fei's other charge attacks now, are also easier to execute
against officers, and against crowds.
The omission of the Way of Musou is because the Speed Scroll is very important
for always entering crowds with his first normal attack safely. This
means a lot for a better defense. The Way of Musou doesn't change too much for
Zhang Fei, because with or without it, it will still take him two musous to
kill officers. So equipping the Way of Musou gives him little benefits.
Zhang Fei's offense is very similar to Ling Tong's, because of a continuous
360 degree charge attack that is unblockable. Because of this, Zhang Fei is
very good at freezing officers, and he's given many chances. Like with Ling
Tong, try to save his musou for frozen officers; attempt his C3 four or
five times, and if ice still hasn't kicked it, his long regular musou should be
enough to defeat the officer from there.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
9.22 - Jiang Wei [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Jiang Wei is another character that benefits a lot from the extended flinching
time. Generals are now unable to block his C6, because of long
execution time. And this is extremely valuable because in Xtreme Legends,
Jiang Wei's C6 is elemental. Before Xtreme Legends, his C6 was much less
reliable because of the long execution time, and shorter
flinching time; now, it has a much higher success rate of hitting, and thus
isn't limited to approaching crowds anymore. Also, Jiang Wei now has another
charge attack for freezing generals: this amounts to a total of four charge
attacks, although, his C3 and C6 are the most useful.
The extended flinching time helps also for his normal attacks. Recall that
in Dynasty Warriors 5, if he attacks an officer with the very tip of the
reach of his first normal attack, his second normal attack would miss and
would prove to be quite problematic. Now, because of the extended flinching
time, his attacking speed is fast enough to allow his second normal attack
to miss, and his third attack to continue. With the long reach and wide
range in his fourth normal attack, can now safely walk away if no enemies
are behind him. This means a lot because it means that he now has a much
easier musou filling potential. Not being able to do this in Dynasty Warriors 5,
because of the shorter flinching time, he is often forced to proceed until after
his sixth normal attack, and after that is always a chance to get hit, or
waste his musou for defense. Most importantly, Jiang Wei's C3 is a lot easier
to execute now, both against officers and in crowds. Since missing with his
second normal attack doesn't really matter, his C3 will connect nicely, just
as if it were his third normal attack. This allows Jiang Wei to do his C3
in more situations, and it makes him much more defensive and flexible.
On killing regular generals in one chain of attacks, Jiang Wei also has a lot
of flexibility. Almost identical to Zhao Yun with the Way of Musou equipped,
Generals can be defeated easily, with a full true musou, along with a
preceding chain of the maximum number of normal attacks. Likely the
best way to go is to use his C6 whenever possible. It is useful because even
if his C6 doesn't freeze, he still has a chance at doing his musou without
ice, if your fast enough.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
9.23 - Xing Cai [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Dragon Arms
Ice Orb
Xing Cai is very compatible with the Dragon Arms. Her offensive speed is now
way faster, with her new C3 and jump charge combo.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
With the Dragon Arms, her C3 can be abused because her jump charge can be used
to escape to cancel its recovery time. This gives Xing Cai's a very good defense
and a much faster offense. This would naturally omit the Light Orb for a
recommended item. Since her C3 can be abused, it doesn't really matter now if
she missed blocking officers with it.
The extended flinching time also makes her C3 easier to execute safely.
But keep in mind that it's still slightly dangerous during his second normal
attack. But it's obvious that this flaw can be avoided.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________
9.24 - Lu Meng [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Ginseng
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Because of the True Way of Musou, and the extended flinching time, Lu Meng's
relatively big rise in the tier list is natural.
Similar to Yue Ying, Lu Meng has excellent reach, range, and fast recovery
time in his normal attacks. This makes it easy to simply use only his
normal attacks for a safe and effective offense, and easy musou filling. With
the True Way of Musou, it is possible to kill regular generals in one chain of
attacks.
The extended flinching time helps Lu Meng greatly by allowing the ending of
his regular musou to connect successfully. In Dynasty Warriors 5, it is
often blocked by generals, and may create dangerous situations.
Lu Meng doesn't change very much. His offense of just normal attacks is now
very safe because of the extended flinching time.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
9.25 - Dong Zhuo [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou/Ginseng
Ice Orb
Make the choice between Way of Musou or Ginseng. Dong Zhuo's musou filling
ability is a lot better in Xtreme Legends, so the Way of Musou may be
preferred for some players. His regular musou can be risky at times; just
be sure to jump towards an officer if he/she is blocking, because after
he's on the ground, he rolls backwards. Equipping the Way of Musou will make
Dong Zhuo more able to fight multiple officers.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Even with a short musou bar, Dong Zhuo's full true musou will almost kill
regular generals from full health. He is similar to Liu Bei and Yuan Shao in
that his musou is so incredible against both crowds and generals, but he
lacks only slightly in defense.
The same strategy of using his jump charge to serve as a finishing move to
his normal attacks still applies. It's now much safer with the extended
flinching time. And of course, it's much easier now to just rely on his
first three normal attacks only in smaller crowds for easy musou filling.
His C6 is much easier to execute safely against officers, but it is still
limited to small crowds.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________
9.26 - Guan Yu [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
Because of the slightly extended musou length with the True Way of Musou
item, Guan Yu's true musou is not a risk anymore against frozen officers.
Recall that in Dynasty Warriors 5, if he would execute a full true musou
directly after an officer has been iced (which is often forced), the timing
of when the officer thaws and the ending of Guan Yu's true musou can be
dangerous.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
As mentioned in section 8, Guan Yu's only real flaw is his weaker attack
strength, caused by his light weapon. For Guan Yu, killing generals in one
chain of attacks isn't impossible or hard, but very limited. Because of his
light weapon, and his juggling musou, ice is needed for Guan Yu to be able
make short work of regular generals. Fortunately, Guan Yu's long reach (like
Lu Bu, and Zhao Yun) may sometimes allow him to attack generals as they are
approaching without them blocking. However, this is still a minor advantage.
Try to start the chain with his first normal attack, and attempt to ice with
his C6. This shouldn't be too hard with is awesome normal attacks and the
extended flinching time. If the ice is successful, following up with a full
true musou should do the job. His C6 should be simple to pull off against
generals, even in large crowds. But even if his first attack is his C6, the
damage dealt by his musou is still decent, and juggling directly
after his true musou for several more hits is easy for finishing generals off.
A major advantage is the unblockability in Guan Yu's C6, which adds a very
valuable touch of flexibility in Guan Yu's ability to defeat generals in
crowds.
The extended flinching time benefits Guan Yu's offensive greatly, because it
allows a much higher chance of executing his C6 safely in large crowds.
This is why I mentioned above, that his C6 should be simple to
pull off, against generals even in large crowds. Because of the extended
flinching time, the only peons in a crowd that will interrupt his C6
during its execution, are the peons that he misses with his fourth normal
attack. But of course, the vertical range of his fifth normal attack is
still a huge disadvantage. His normal attacks can also be abused a lot easier
not that the flinching time is extended.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________
9.27 - Zhou Yu [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Zhou Yu has perhaps changed the least from Dynasty Warriors 5 to Xtreme
Legends. The inclusion of the True Way of Musou still makes him a two-musou
per officer type of character. All that it gives him is an easier chance to
kill officers when frozen.
The extended flinching time helps his C6 quite a bit. It's also quite useful
to stop after his third normal attack or even the first strike of his
C4, because of the longer flinching time. This allows Zhou Yu to musou fill
a lot easier and faster.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
9.28 - Pang Tong [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Now that Pang Tong has the True Way of Musou equipped, his offensive speed,
is much faster.
The extended flinching time makes Pang Tong's musou filling ability a lot
faster now. Please take the time to view my video on Pang Tong's new
musou filling combo with his first normal attack and his C1.
The video is titled "Strago: DW5 XL Chaos Mode, Deadly Combo (Pang Tong
Moveset)" Generally, you want to time his first normal attack and his C1
as evenly as possible. The extended flinching time allows for this combo to
work perfectly, almost like Zhen Ji's new C1 and jump charge combo.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
9.29 - Meng Huo [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Again, practically the only thing that has changed for Meng Huo is that now
he has a stronger musou. But still, with his light weapon, his musou is still
a relatively weak one. However, killing generals in one chain of attacks is
still possible. If a freezing charge attack is the first attack on a regular
general, then his full true musou will almost kill the general. With this,
you know that you can kill generals with his full true musou with either his
C3, C5, or C6 preceding it, (with normal attacks too of course) with the
assistance of ice.
The extended flinching time makes it much easier to execute his C6
safely. There is now, no more risk in getting hit out of it by generals,
because of long execution time.
The same style applies: abuse his jump charge, C3, and C6.
His C3 and C6 come in handy when facing larger crowds.
For crowds that are large enough to fill his musou, his C6 is useful
since it can be manipulated to hit blocking generals. Again, his C6
is much more useful because of the extended flinching time. When crowds
start to get way to big, too big to safely use his C6, is when
his C3 should be used. His C3 has very protective
range, similar to Xing Cai's. The reason why his C6 is
generally better is because it can get blocking generals. When facing generals
in smaller crowds however, you would of course resort to continuously
abusing his jumop charge, because his C3 and C6 have long recovery
times.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
9.30 - Xu Huang [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Xu Huang is also another character who has not changed much at all.
The longer flinching time benefits Xu Huang slightly, by allowing his C6
to be more efficient.
Otherwise, his strategies all remain the same.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
9.31 - Yue Ying [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Very similar to Guan Yu, Yue Ying has long reach, excellent attack range,
and fast recovery time, but as covered in section 8, she falls short of
Guan Yu in nearly all offensive and defensive aspects.
Even with the True Way of Musou and the Ice Orb, her juggling musou is still
relatively very weak. This is just simply her weakness by default.
The extended flinching time makes Yue Ying's normal attack much easier to
use safely in large crowds, and allows for easier and safer execution of her
C6.
There are no extra strategies or changes with using Yue Ying effectively.
With the True Way of Musou, her offense is just upgraded. Like Guan Yu
and several other characters, it is very possible, and likely safest, to
rely mostly on her normal attacks for easy musou filling. Try to ice generals
with her C3 and C6. Her C4 also works, but is obviously
less useful because of its scattering effect. Her C5 can be
unblockable, but just like Guan Ping's the range is very minimal, and the
reach is pinpointed. However, it is still a useful charge attack to attempt
freezing blocking generals, if she has a filled musou gauge to back you up.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
9.32 - Guan Ping [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Like many other characters, nothing has changed for Guan Ping, just that his
offense is slightly enhanced, and now he can defeat regular generals from
full health using ice.
All the same offesive strategies for Guan Ping still apply, and are practically
unchanged by the extended flinching time. His C3, C4, and C6 offenses are
all almost identical.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
9.33 - Xiao Qiao [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Light Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Xiao Qiao's offense is a lot faster now with the True Way of Musou. Her
musou is strong enough to take out officers in just one long musou. But still
she still needs to be keen with her C3, and C4, to set up perfectly for her
musou.
Otherwise, nothing much has changed.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
9.34 - Sun Jian [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Dragon Arms
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Before Xtreme Legends, Sun Jian had the huge defensive flaw of not being able
to fill his musou bar with his C5, or any other method. Sun Jian would only
be able to fill his musou in a small range of crowd sizes, either small
crowds or massive dense crowds. The Dragon Arms now allows him a to have
a much safer recovery from his C5. He now has a very good defense, and quite
a fast offense as well. His C5 must be used very strictly to achieve
extreme defense results. He has to have no threats from behind when entering
a crowd with his normal attacks. This will enable him to jump backwards.
Now the trick is to hold L1 while facing forward, to avoid facing the wrong
direction when jumping backwards. This is important because peons are still
able to hit him just as he lands. But if this is done correctly, he can do his
jump attack just before he lands to eliminate any immediate threats. After
that he should be able to resume attacking again. Please take the time to
view my Sun Jian video to see this visually.
The extended flinching has helped Sun Jian's moveset a lot. He can abuse his
first four normal attacks in small crowds for easy musou filling. It's
also much easier now to sneak in the maximum number of normal attacks before
his musou. This works even in crowds that are quite large. With the True
Way of Musou equipped, his offense is now incredible against officers.
Imagine what he can do with attack on his 4th weapon. Sun Jian's moveset
gets a lot better in section 10 of this guide, but this new configuration
in Xtreme Legends is a big improvement.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_____________
9.35 - Cao Pi [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Ginseng
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Cao Pi's style doesn't change much. The extended flinching time does indeed
help the execution of his C5 a lot, but it's still very hard to execute it
in massive crowds, or crowds are approaching. His main musou filling method
still remains to be his protective normal attacks. He's just a bit more
flexible now, because the extended flinching time allows him to stop after
his fifth normal attack in a lot more situations. However, he still is often
forced to waste his musou after filling it with his normal attacks.
One major change that the extended flinching time causes, is Cao Pi's C1.
Cao Pi's C1 is the only C1 orb that can be abused over and over again
because it's the fastest. Of course Pang Tong's and Zhuge Liang's can too, but
Cao Pi's is a more useful, being ice elemental. Continuously abusing his C1
works only against peon crowds though. This is still a very useful method of
attacking, even large crowds, with ease.
There is another very safe combo to use with Cao Pi's ice orbs, and this one
is much easier to execute because it's a continuous string of C2's. Thus,
all that is needed is a safe initial C1 execution. After this, his C2 can be
executed, and the ice orb from the initial C1 will explode after it, which
will allow safe execution for the ice orb directly after his C2. This combo
then, can be repeated. This combo is much more useful that simply abusing
his C1, because it is easier to execute, and it's useful against officers.
There is an interesting timing that can be achieved with Cao Pi's ice orbs,
and this may give him a Dragon Arms compatibility, for the ones after his
charge attacks, particularly his C5. I don't think it's full proof, even
with a light weapon, but I thought it might be worth mentioning.
after deploying one of Cao Pi's ice orbs, say for example after his C5.
This is a very good example because his C5 often allows room for him to
execute that extra ice orb charge after it, in the right situations.
If he does his jump charge as early as possible after deploying the ice orb,
it can be used and timed nicely to ensure a pretty safe landing, as the
ice orb explodes. Well, you can see already that this is an interesting fact
at best. There's really no reason to use this method over his normal attacks,
or just his C5 alone. But try it out. It's quite fun.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________
9.36 - Cao Cao [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou/Ginseng
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Cao Cao's normal attacks are much easier to abuse now that the flinching
time is longer. His fifth normal attack is the most important. It much
easier now to stop after it and either start attack again or run away to
reposition him. This is a good reason to not give him the Ginseng.
The Way of Musou will make his offense a bit faster.
The extended flinching time also makes his C5 a lot easier to execute.
But like Cao Pi's C5, it still isn't safe in massive crowds. His C6 still
has an execution time that is too long to use against officers if they
aren't blocking. So it will remain an option on against blocking officers,
in small crowds.
Using his C1 before engaging an officer may give Cao Cao quite a good offense.
It's not too hard to kill an officer in one combo, by doing the maximum
number of normal attacks with fire depletion from his C1, and then a full
musou. Often the only difficulty in doing this is timing his C1 and normal
attacks properly when officers are approaching with large crowds, but are
not in the lead of the crowd. Otherwise, the extended flinching time, does
a lot to make this combo easier to execute.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________
9.37 - Cao Ren [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Ginseng
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Cao Ren also remains pretty much unchanged. His grounded musou is upgraded
by the True Way of Musou.
His defense is also slightly better when attacking with his normal attacks,
because of the extended flinching time.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________________
9.38 - Sun Shang Xiang [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Like Fu Xi, it is very hard for Sun Shang Xiang to juggle with her musou.
This also makes her very dependant on ice for a good offense.
With a heavy weapon and defensive stats, Sun Shang Xiang's defense is lot
better now in Xtreme Legends because of the new non-flinching property for
heavy weapon wielders. She has what I called a Special Defense, that only
Cao Ren had (Xing Cai too, but it doesn't quite work well with her) in
Dynasty Warriors 5. Getting hit during her normal attacks is sometimes
unavoidable in massive crowds, but this new Special Defense, helps her a lot,
both in getting hit less, and making it easier for her to get into red
health safely.
The extended flinching time makes her C6 a bit easier to execute now, and
makes it harder for her to get hit.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________
9.39 - Zhen Ji [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Dragon Arms
True Way of Musou
Ice Orb
The Ice Orb is more advantageous now because of a stronger musou. Her musou
against a frozen officer now deals relatively more damage, than her true
musou. And with her Dragon Arms configuration, the Ice Orb is more of a
necessity.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
With the Dragon Arms equipped, Zhen Ji is now very capable of high defense.
She can now use her C1 and Jump Charge, and with the right timing it is a
continuous string of 360 degree attacks. Please take the time to view my
"Zhen Ji's Deadly Combo" video. The edit character in this video has a medium
weight weapon with maxed out attack, which is why her C1 and Jump Charge is
killing peons in one hit. Refer to Zhen Ji's analysis in section 10 for more
info.
With an defense like this, Zhen Ji rises a lot in the tier list. But if she
were to abuse this deadly combo of her's, since it doesn't contribute to
musou filling, her offense is a slow one, especially against massive crowds.
Small crowds can be fast, because after a few C1's and jump charges,
it's simple one on one combat.
The extended flinching time makes it much easier for her to stop after her
fourth normal attack. This gives her a much better musou filling ability, in
a larger range of crowd sizes.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
__________________
9.40 - Huang Zhong [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Fire Arrows
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
The choice between the Huang's Bow and the True Way of Musou should be a simple
one. The Huang Bow gives about only 5/4 and increase of damage with his C1.
The True Way of Musou gives 3/2. Pretty big difference.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Huang Zhong's offense is upgraded slightly by the True Way of Musou.
The extended flinching time makes it slightly easier to use his C1 continuously,
and his C3 directly after his C1 in specific situations.
Lastly, the four characters that were able to use their bows during their C1's
(and C5 in Huang Zhong's case), namely Lu Bu, Gan Ning, Huang Zhong and
Xiahou Yuan, are now unable to do it, in Xtreme Legends. Just an interesting
fact, as it doesn't change their movesets or offensive/defensive strategies
at all.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
____________
9.41 - Fu Xi [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Fu Xi, or the Broadsword moveset, is one of the two new movesets introduced
in Xtreme Legends.
__________
4th Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Power 38
Medium Weight
Charge 16
Fill 16
Defense 16
Attack 16
Life 17
Definitely not a bad weapon for this moveset. Fu Xi works well with a short
musou and high fill. The Charge bonus is very useful for all of Fu Xi's
versatile charge attacks. Life and Defense may be wasted in the eyes of
Fu Xi master. Speed isn't quite a necessity, because his jump attack is very
defensive, and defensive strategies are similar to Xu Zhu's. But a speed
bonus would help a lot. It's easy for Fu Xi to isolate officers temporarily
even in large crowds, but getting to officers quickly enough to capitalize
may be hard. A speed bonus would grant him more flexibility, which is quite
important for this moveset.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Dragon Arms
Ice Orb
It's very easy to agree that once you've figure out that it is possible to
continously abuse his jump charge with the Dragon Arms equipped, Fu Xi is
among the better characters in the game. Also, his charge attacks all have
slow recovery. The Dragon Arms is a very important item for charge attack
cancellation. His useful jump attack makes him even more compatible with the
Dragon Arms.
The True Way of Musou will allow Fu Xi to kill generals very quickly when
iced.
The Ice Orb is undoubtedly the best orb to equip for Fu Xi's moveset.
Because his C1, jump charge, and his C5 are all fire
elemental by default, there is no need for the Fire Orb, and little need for
the Way of Musou. Fu Xi's musou is strong by default; even when generals with
higher defense, like the playable characters, can be defeated very quickly,
when frozen. The Ice Orb also helps a lot because it may be hard to juggle
correctly with his musou.
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
The Dragon Arms allows his jump charge to be continuously abused. The range
being 360 degrees, makes musou filling ridiculously easy, and grants him
moderately reliable defense. Even though it can be used over and over again,
it's not safe enough to abuse it. The reason is the same as Meng Huo's jump
charge. It's not safe on the way down, if it's used when enemies are close in.
Only when Fu Xi uses his jump charge to enter crowds is when it is safe.
Fu Xi's C1 is excellent. It is composed of two nearly 360 degree
slashes; both of them have fire, and both of them are very strong. His C1 is
also an excellent musou filling move. With the range not quite
covering 360 degrees, there are slight possibilities of getting hit, and this
will sweep him off his feet and allow the enemy to juggle him. Another
advantage of his C1 is that generals do not block it. Whether it is
technically unblockable or not, it can be tested, but the point is, it can be
considered completely unblockable, because the AI will not block it. Pressing
triangle more than once will make the second strike hit enemies into the air.
The range however, is much less. Pair with its auto-fire property, this is
a simple way to juggle high defense generals with fire.
For the first time in Dynasty Warriors 5, the two new movesets Fu Xi and Nu Wa
in Xtreme Legends have an elemental C2. For Fu Xi, this is very beneficial to
attempt freezing officers quickly. It will often hit officers, even with it's
long execution time. I believe it's another type that is long enough to
officer to not block it, but fast enough so that it executes in time before
officers actually land a successful hit. This is much like Pang De's C5.
Try to only hit officers with the tip of the reach of his first normal attack
to ensure safety with his C2 execution.
Fu Xi's C3 has obvious defensive risks, because of the jabbing
strikes during its rushing sequence. It is however,
a very fast and good way to freeze officers. Other than using it to freeze
generals, it has very little use. Use his jump attack or jump charge to
eliminate the recovery time.
His C4 has excellent range; it is one of the many ideal scattering
charge attacks. The only thing to complain about is the somewhat long
execution time. His C4 is the other good method for freezing
generals, but somewhat inferior to his other charge attacks because it hits
opponents away if ice isn't successful. But it is a bit arguable on the issue
of it's freezing effectiveness because, his C4 is the only charge attack that
can be used in massive crowds to attempt freezing officers. It's not a bad idea
to use it if an officer happens to not be blocking in a massive crowd.
Since his C1 and jump charge are fire-elemental already, it can be
argued that the fire is a disadvantage, solely because there isn't a need for
it to have fire. Because is has auto-fire, it doesn't have the ability to
activate the equipped orb, thus it is unable to activate the ice. His C5 is
another one of those 360 degree ground pounding charge attacks, so
it is very possible to hit blocking generals with it. If it could ice, his
C5 would be much more valuable because it is be able to hit
generals, both blocking and non-blocking. And just imagine if his C1 were
ice elemental. He could be many more placements higher in the tier list.
His C6 may seem to be useless at first glance, but it is his only
method to freeze blocking officers. The execution time is so long, that
generals will stop blocking and attempt to attack him. There are obvious
risks with doing this, as facing "smarter" generals (playable characters)
may be dangerous, as they may like to do quick jump attacks. But ultimately,
it can be mastered properly so that it can freeze blocking generals, everytime
without getting hit. The main thing to keep in mind to keep a lot of distance
between him and the officer, and exercising my tips on minimizing the execution
time; do this by positioning the blocking officer slightly to Fu Xi's left
side, with the obvious goal of hitting the officer at the end of his fifth
normal attack. Try to have as much distance as possible, and it should be easy
for him to use his C6 with complete safety, with the long reach that he has.
Fu Xi does have very slow walking speed, but this is very minor concern, as
his jump attack can eliminate this flaw. His jump attack, like Xu Zhu's,
hit behind him. So running away from crowds is not a hard thing to do.
Fu Xi's musou is very hard to juggle with. There is a method but it's also
somewhat hard to replicate. Turning in a counterclockwise direction will
enable it to hit more frequently, but this isn't enough to solve the
problem because his musou has high height.
So what's the best offense for Fu Xi, given such a versatile set of charge
attacks?
Since his musou is so hard to use to juggle officers with consistency, the
goal for Fu Xi should be freeze officers with the Ice Orb, and this is what
makes Fu Xi a very fun, and challenging high-mid tier character to use. He
has so many possibilities with four charges attacks to attempt ice.
Use his C2 when officers aren't blocking and when crowd sizes are small.
His C4 should then be last resort if crowds are large. His C3 is useful
against approaching officers because they will often walk right into it,
because of it's long reach. And of course, his C6 is useful against blocking
officers, when crowd sizes aren't too threatening. Try abuse Fu Xi's jump
attack a lot, in smaller crowd sizes. This will enable a lot of chances to
catch officers off guard, so that he doesn't have to resort to his C6 to
activate the Ice Orb. His C3 is also very useful because of the reach
after he's scattered an officer with his C4. But again, this also is limited
to certain crowd situations.
Fu Xi's moveset is the most ideal for crowd clearing. He has many long
reach and wide range attacks that are all very defensive. Musou filling
is very simple, and his musou, especially his true musou, is probably the
most ideal crowd clearing, because it covers 360 degree range with the longest
musou reach in the game.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
__________________
9.42 - Xiahou Yuan [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Speed Scroll
True Way of Musou/Way of Musou
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
I prefer the True Way of Musou, for a much better offense for Xiahou Yuan.
The Way of Musou gives him only slightly better defense. The ending can be
unblockable, which does allow him to take on multiple officers with more
ease, and just gives puts him in a better situation after his musou in
general. Freeze an officer the many methods of C3, C5, and C6, and his
musou will deal massive damage.
The extended flinching time has made Xiahou Yuan a lot better, and a lot
more playable. His normal attacks are much easier to execute now, and his
C6 is very easy to get to without much problems. This explains his rise in
placement, in the tier list. His second normal attack has very fast
recovery, decent reach and horizontal range. Stopping after it is very possible
in quite a large range of crowd sizes. This makes his musou filling ability
much better, and it means a lot since his 4th weapon has no fill, and a long
musou bar. His C3 is also easier to use in large crowds, because of the
longer flinching time. It's often a very good way to attempt freezing officers
even in large crowds. The range covered is nicely on both his sides, and the
extended flinching time makes it a lot easier to execute now despite it's
somewhat slow attacking speed. And of course, Xiahou Yuan's distanced combat
is upgraded too. Peons flinching longer, will make it slightly easier to
use his C1 more frequently, and when crowds get closer, his jump charge can
also be used more easily after a C1.
Keeping the Speed Scroll on him, he now has lots of musou filling opportunities,
and the True Way of Musou allows him make short work of officers when frozen.
Lastly, the four characters that were able to use their bows during their C1's
(and C5 in Huang Zhong's case), namely Lu Bu, Gan Ning, Huang Zhong and
Xiahou Yuan, are now unable to do it, in Xtreme Legends. Just an interesting
fact, as it doesn't change their movesets or offensive/defensive strategies
at all.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
9.43 - Taishi Ci [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Speed Scroll
Dragon Arms
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Taishi Ci is a lot better defensively, with the Dragon Arms equipped. Before
Xtreme Legends, when crowds are running after him, he often has his jump
charge as his only choice, or as his best choice. Now he's able to use his
C2, and then a jump charge directly after it. Even though he doesn't have
the preferred weapon stats for high fill, he still has a short musou, and
being able to clump together two useful charge attacks means a lot for
easier and more reliable musou filling.
When given more distance, he's now capable of a slightly better offense
with a C5 + jump charge combo. This is two double damage charge attacks
executed one after the other.
His normal attacks are also much easier to use in crowds because of the
extended flinching time. His sixth normal attack is quite useful, and has
fast recovery, and this makes his normal attacks more usable in small crowds.
His performance is much better in massive crowds now too because of the
ability to use his jump charge after his C2.
It really sucks that Taishi Ci is almost forced to equip the Speed Scroll for
good defense. There are many dangerous situations that arise if he's unable
to run fast enough to reposition himself. The Dragon Arms obviously gives him
a much better defense. It just kind of sucks to see an item slot wasted
for the Speed Scroll, because his musou with the True Way of Musou equipped,
is strong enough to defeat officers in one musou. The ending of it, deals
massive damage.
Please have a look at Taishi Ci's ideal weapon and analysis in section 10,
and view the video that shows his ideal configuration. With a light weapon,
better musou filling stats, and speed, he's capable very good defense,
and extremely fast offense. His light weapon configuration is a huge jump
from his Dynasty Warriors 5 configuration.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_____________
9.44 - Xu Zhu [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
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Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Way of Musou
True Way of Musou/Ginseng/Dragon Arms
Fire Orb/Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Xu Zhu is actually very compatible with the Dragon Arms. Because his jump
attack is practically 360 degrees, his C4 can be abused very safely.
However, it might not be a preferred item for some players because he is
capable of a better offense with the True Way of Musou, and the Ice Orb.
The same strict strategies apply for Xu Zhu in Xtreme Legends. If you
choose to give him the True Way of Musou, it just simply means that you'll have
to adjust according, and memorize a large crowd threshold crowd size that will
fill his musou with his normal attacks or his C4. This adjustment actually
isn't much of an adjustment, because the extended flinching time allows for
Xu Zhu to abuse his first four normal attacks much more easily when crowds
are only in front of him. His C4 is also easier to execute, as officer
have no chance to block it now, after hitting with his third normal attack.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
9.45 - Dian Wei [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Speed Scroll
True Way of Musou/Ginseng
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Again, the Speed Scroll doesn't quite give him a walking speed that is fast
enough for safe escaping, but it does make it a lot easier for him to
run temporarily in order to position himself in better situations to attack
safely.
The major change that is caused by the extended flinching time is Dian Wei's
C6. It's by far easier to execute in crowds, and against officers. His short
reach is still a problem for executing his C6 in massive crowds, but it's
a huge change from Dynasty Warriors 5. Because his offense is now quite
dominantly his C6, the Ginseng might not be much of a needed item.
The True Way of Musou will give him a better offense.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
9.46 - Zhu Rong [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Speed Scroll
Ginseng
Ice Orb/Light Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
I still recommend the Speed Scroll to allow for distanced combat with Zhu
Rong's C3.
The extended flinching time does help her normal attacks a bit, but her
close combat methods are still very dangerous. The Ginseng is still a very
important item for high fill. Her C6 is much easier to execute in crowds now,
but it's still not safe in large crowd sizes.
Nothing much has changed. Give her the True Way of Musou to allow her to
kill officers in one musou (or very close at least), if you're feeling bold.
But she still almost needs the Ginseng for a better defense.
The extended flinching time helps other little things such as execution of
her C4, C6, and stopping purposely after her fourth normal attack. But none
of these are huge advantages.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_____________
9.47 - Sun Ce [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Dragon Arms
True Way of Musou/Ginseng
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Sun Ce is now capable of a much better defense with the Dragon Arms.
His problem is poor musou filling ability, and minimizing the recovery time
after his charge attacks is a huge upgrade. Although, unlike Sun Jian, there's
no real fullproof way of guaranteeing a safe recovery.
His C3 is much more easier to use now. Stick with the strategy of using it in
a clockwise direction. It can be a safe move to use in small crowds, for
musou filling, if you use the last hit to escape by facing away from the
crowd (assuming that no threats are from behind of course). Do either a
quick jump attack, or jump high. But methods seem equally safe....or equally
unsafe.
His C4 is a lot more defensive now, because its long recovery is reduced.
Still try to use his C1, and leading methods, to get crowds a bit more clustered
before using his C4. Because his C4 thrusts forward, it's very hard to
ensure a safe recovery. Again, either do a quick jump attack or a high jump.
The risky execution is still a problem for him.
His C5 seems to be the best charge attack now to use with the Dragon Arms.
The forward thrust again, is the only reason why he's not capable of Sun
Jian's extreme defense with the Dragon Arms. It works quite well when
entering crowds with his C5. But this can't be done all the time.
His C6 is slightly easier to execute because of the extended flinching time,
but it's still not a good move to use.
Using his jump charge after his C1 with the Dragon Arms makes it a bit safer
and more useful, but again, the execution is still a potential problem.
This tip doesn't even make his C1 any more useful anyway.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
9.48 - Huang Gai [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Speed Scroll
True Way of Musou/Ginseng
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
The extended flinching time makes it a lot easier for Huang Gai to use his
normal attacks. However, he's still quite a terrible on defense. The
Dragon Arms won't do too much for him, as execution issues still exist.
But still, the extended flinching time helps him in many ways: He's more able
to stop after his second normal attack and restart attacking again.
These are his only useful normal attacks, and it nice that they are both at
the beginning of his normal attack string. But it's not at all straight out,
abusable, because the recovery time isn't that fast after his second normal
attack. His C4 will now, not get interrupted by officers. This means a lot
for crowd scattering when officers aren't blocking. The same thing can be said
for his C5. The longer flinching time now allows his third and fourth
normal attacks to be used safely, but only in a large range of crowd sizes.
Since his second normal attack strikes from left to right, aim his third
normal attack to strike to his left side, and his fourth normal attack
to strike to his right. By the time his fifth normal attack kicks in, his
C6 should be much easier to execute. But sadly, Huang Gai's still very
inept in massive crowds. If only his weapon had fill on it. An extra fill 20
makes a huge difference for Huang Gai.
There is an alternative setup to consider for Huang Gai. He is able to
equip the Survival Guide for ATKx2 war axes. He'll get them every time he
uses his C1 on himself. Be sure to let him fall and lie completely on the
ground. Doing an L1 somersault will not work. However, this is only an
interesting alternative, because Huang Gai with his 4th weapon cannot be fast
enough on foot to really make this strategy useful when facing large crowds.
His running speed with the Speed Scroll is practically the same as the
running speed of peons. It's hard for him to create enough safety distance
to use his C1 and the Survival Guide effectively. However, this is of course
an evaluation of ground combat only, and thus a limitation by me, this guide,
and the ground combat tier lists. This strategy can work quite well if you
include horse combat. However, some time is wasted if you have to take his
horse to somewhere safe to use his C1. It's more like an ATKx2 for 20 seconds.
And of course, you can't even be scratched because he'll have zero health.
This is a more useful alternative with a speed 40 configuration.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
9.49 - Diao Chan [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Dragon Arms/Ginseng
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
I would probably stick with the Ginseng for a faster fill with her C3.
She isn't that compatible with the Dragon Arms, but it does allow her to
tack on a damaging jump charge after her C3, or of course after any other
charge attack. It's very nice to use her jump charge after her C6 if the
ice orb kicks in, and she has a filled musou. This way she can get right into
the officer's face to do a double damaging musou. But the best application of
charge cancellation would be after her C3. It's only a mild compatibility
because her C3 has a fast recovery anyway. Doing a jump charge doesn't really
solve any C3 recovery problems. Taking off the Ginseng for a lower fill, but
always a chance to do her jump charge after her C3, almost balances out,
in terms of musou filling rate. An alternative configuration would be to have
both the Dragon Arms and the Ginseng equipped, but still with her long musou
bar, it's still hard to guarantee a filled musou after any of her moves, but
this is indeed the best defensive setup.
Her C3 is just slightly safer in crowds because of the extended flinching time.
Still stick to a shortened C3 for better defensive results. Be sure to enter
crowds at the beginning of her C3 to eliminate risks of getting hit during
the execution time. The extended flinching time also helps her fifth normal
attack quite a bit. But it's still not a huge defensive upgrade for Diao Chan
because her normal attacks are still inferior to her C3 in terms of defense.
She definitely hasn't changed much. Diao Chan is probably best in red health,
because of her fast walking speed, excellent true musou ending, and strong
jump charge.
Diao Chan gets a lot more interesting with full weapon customization.
Please take a look at her analysis in section 10.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_________________
9.50 - Zhang Jiao [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Speed Scroll
Ginseng/True Way of Musou
Light Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Zhang Liao still has a lot of problems with his C3 in massive crowds, and
still has no red health strategy, or more accurately, a very poor one, that
has a slow offense and is very dangerous against multiple officers.
The one thing that Zhang Jiao is better at doing is abusing his first normal
attack because of the extended flinching time. This makes things a lot easier,
but only in small crowds. It's very hard to survive with him in massive crowd
situations. Having a below average counterattack doesn't help either.
The rushing sequence of his C3 when his staff is levitating up and down, he's
a bit safer because of longer flinching time, somewhat like Zhang Fei's C3.
But Zhang Jiao's is merely, a bit safer.
His Ginseng configuration is the safest choice. After his C3 is never a
guaranteed safety, so having a filled musou after his C3 is important.
Not having the True Way of Musou makes is offense a bit slower.
===============================================================================
________________________________________
10.00 - Ideal Weapon Customization (CAW) [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Many characters are really limited by their poor 4th weapons, whether it
is because of weapon weight or poor attributes on the weapon. Some characters
would benefit overall by having a better 3rd weapon, with a suitable weapon
weight, and better attributes. This of course would sacrifice the free musou
rages per 100 KO's. This section discusses full customization of each
character's 3rd weapons, covers ideal item configurations, and introduces a
new tier list. This tier list can be regarded as a moveset tier list,
where it is more of a fair ranking of all the movesets in the game, but with
full weapon customization. Thus, characters who benefit a lot from extra
speed such as Xiahou Yuan, are capable of pretty extreme defense. This section
is concerned with maximizing the potential of all characters in Chaos Mode.
There is a new mode in Xtreme Legends, called Destiny Mode, where you can
create a warrior, and fight as a soldier under any of the playable characters.
The duration is 8 stages, and after completion, you are awarded a third weapon
of the character that you served under, and this third weapon always has
5 attributes on it, and evolution attacks. This way, we can now make better
characters with the same movesets as all the playable characters. However,
going through Destiny Mode to get 5-attribute 3rd weapons for the "Other"
characters isn't recommended, because you can't serve under them. There is a
way to get a 3rd weapon of Zhu Rong's moveset, but the odds are ridiculously
low.
As an alternative for these Other characters, or if you're too lazy to create a
warrior, you may want to use the Internal Time Trick, to acquire weapons with
4 attributes. You should refer to the Internal Time Trick guide, also on
www.gamefaqs.com. There will be a suggested weapon from the Internal Time
Trick for each of the characters in this section.
Furthermore, after completing any stage, you can earn Bonus Upgrades to enhance
certain character stats. Here are the following Bonus Upgrades that you can get
Life
Musou
Attack
Defense
Power
Attribute
Upgrades for Life, Musou, Attack, and Defense will all increase those
specific stats for any character. The importance of these Bonus Upgrades is
Power and Attribute. Now that we have these Upgrades, the stats on third
weapons can be maxed out. Power can be maxed out to 40, and any Attribute to
20. Thus, after completing Destiny Mode, and going through several hours of
acquiring the Power and Attribute upgrades, you can get a third weapon with
a Power of 40, and 5 Attributes all maxed out to 20.
Lastly, in Destiny Mode, you can capture Supply Captains to obtain weapons.
If you get these weapons in the 8th stage, the last stage in Destiny Mode,
they are also third weapons with 5 attributes and evolution attacks. However,
the movesets for these weapons may not be the same as the character you are
serving under, so these weapons are randomly generated. Acquiring weapons
from Supply Captains in Destiny Mode, is the only way to get a good third
weapon with 5 attributes, for the characters not from Shu, Wei, or Wu. Some
may believe that Diao Chan would be much better in Chaos Mode, if she had
a Medium weight weapon with an extra Attack+20 stat on it. Well, I'm just
telling you that it is possible to do it, but I don't know if anyone is
crazy enough to do it. The chances of getting the desired moveset is 1/50.
But the chances of getting the desired weapon is much lower than that because
the weight and attributes are randomly generated. So, you'll probably want to
use the Internal Time Trick for stacked 3rd weapons instead. Well....it's not
five attributes, but you can live with four, right?
Again, video clips for most of the character setups can be found at
http://youtube.com/DW5chaosmodeguide
_______________________________________________________________________________
Dynasty Warriors 5 Xtreme Legends
Full Customization Tier List
Chaos Mode, 5-Star Stages, Xtreme Legends, Mastered Characters
Maxed Base Stats
Zhuge Liang
Lu Bu
_______________
Zhou Tai
Zhou Yun
Ma Chao
_______________
Sun Jian
Yuan Shao
Pang De
Zhang Liao
Lu Meng
Lu Xun
Ling Tong
Gan Ning
Cao Ren
Zuo Ci
Xu Huang
Liu Bei
Wei Yan
Da Qiao
Xing Cai
_______________
Sun Quan
Sima Yi
Zhang He
Nu Wa
Pang Tong
Meng Huo
Zhu Rong
Guan Yu
Xiahou Dun
Zhang Fei
Jiang Wei
Guan Ping
Yue Ying
Cao Cao
Taishi Ci
Dong Zhuo
Xiao Qiao
Zhou Yu
Cao Pi
Sun Shang Xiang
_______________
Zhen Ji
Huang Zhong
Diao Chan
_______________
Xu Zhu
Fu Xi
_______________
Xiahou Yuan
Dian Wei
_______________
Zhang Jiao
_______________
Huang Gai
Sun Ce
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dynasty Warriors 5 Xtreme Legends
Full Weapon Customization
Maxed Base Stats
Maximized Characters
Tier List Discussion
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Top Tier: Excellent Defense; Excellent Offense; Unparalleled Consistency
Zhuge Liang, Lu Bu
I've decided to analyse Zhuge Liang as Lu Bu's equal. I won't waste your
time repeating Lu Bu's godly-ness. He's basically the same with full
customization. Zhuge Liang with his heavy weapon setup has consistently
the fastest offense in the game. Lets look at all the situations:
Against singular officers only, in small crowds many other characters are
capable of the same offensive ability, such as Nu Wa, or Ling Tong, etc,
but as crowds increase, it matters little of Zhuge Liang, because his musou
filling will still take one jump charge, and all he needs to do is run for
a little while only, with his speed 40 increase. The characters who can rival
him against singular officers in massive crowds are Sun Jian, Pang De, and
of course Lu Bu. All other characters should have a bit more difficulty.
Against playable officers then, Lu Bu gets slightly outclasses by Sun Jian,
Pang De, and Zhuge Liang. But against mounted officers, there's no other
character who can rival Zhuge Liang, in offensive speed. Even because in
average stages, Zhuge Liang's full potential can't be seen, he still has the
fastest consistent offense, because his musou can destroy mounted officers
in one musou only. Zhuge Liang then, is by far the best against enemy
commanders, or high defense officers such as Pang De at Yang Ping, or
Ma Chao at Bai Di. Then in Mt Qi, where all officers are beefed up,
Zhuge Liang truly deserves his own top tier placement.
I've placed Zhuge Liang above the perfect defense tier of Zhou Tai, Zhao Yun,
and Ma Chao, because Zhuge Liang's distanced combat methods are not at all
far from perfect defense. There are three arguments with Zhuge's methods that
make the ordering with him and Lu Bu in this tier quite arguable (leaving
Mt Qi aside of course). The first, is an offensive argument. Saying that
Zhuge Liang needs to waste time with running because he needs to have safety
distance for executing his jump charge, and comparing his distance combat
musou filling method with Sima Yi's, Zuo Ci's, or any others, isn't much of
a good argument. Zhuge Liang can devote a weapon slot and item slot, for a
speed 40 increase, and he doesn't need to run very much at all. All
that is needed is the safest distance, and his jump charge will fill his musou
often in only one jump charge. This is an incredibly fast musou filling
method, and still very fast in massive crowds. The second argument is
defense one. The only reason why Zhuge Liang doesn't have the perfect defense,
that Zhou Tai, Zhao Yun, and Ma Chao have, is because of his weakness
against archers. But this also, is not much of a good argument, even in Mt Qi,
where there are many archer crowds. Unlike Huang Zhong, Zhuge Liang, isn't
completely planted when musou filling with his jump charge. He stays in
one spot for a short period of time when he's in the air, but otherwise, it's a
quite a continuously moving attack. Zhuge Liang's defense is not far from
being perfect at all. The third argument is perhaps the only good one for
nailing Zhuge Liang. The only true weakness in Zhuge Liang's jump charge is
terrain. But even this, is a weak argument for Zhuge Liang's weaknesses,
because it is basically on uphills when he can't quite use his jump charge.
Unlike Huang Zhong or Xiahou Yuan, Zhuge's at a disadvantage only on
steep uphills, while Huang Zhong's and Xiahou Yuan's C1's can't be used
if the terrain is even slightly slanted. Also, slopes altogether are a slight
disadvantage for Zhuge Liang's musou, but the solution to this is obviously
to use his musou when close to an officer. Anyhow, steep slopes are rare,
and he shouldn't be nailed badly on this weakness.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2nd Tier: Perfect Defense; Good Offense
Zhou Tai, Zhao Yun, Ma Chao
Nothing has changed for these three characters. They are still here for
their perfect defense. The order is the same, descending in offensive
ability. Ma Chao is the only one who has actually changed, with a longer musou
bar, but his offense still isn't quite as good as Zhao Yun's, because of
musou frequency. Also, having perfect defense by the Dragon Arms is a bit
better than an abusable jump charge, because of more flexibility.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd Tier: Excellent Defense; Excellent Offense
Sun Jian, Pang De, Zhang Liao, Lu Meng, Lu Xun, Ling Tong, Gan Ning
Cao Ren, Zuo Ci, Xu Huang, Liu Bei, Wei Yan, Yuan Shao, Xing Cai, Da Qiao
Again, the 3rd and 4th tiers are quite large, and the trend is the same, but
that these two tiers are a lot larger because more characters are able to
rise with full weapon customization. And again, the decrease in offensive
potential is very very gradual, and I have simply chosen to draw the line
at Da Qiao and Sun Quan.
Sun Jian is at the top of this tier. His new configuration allows him to musou
fill very quickly, and give him an offense that is fast against regular
and playable officers. There's nothing much to comment on his placement. He
is only one in this tier with no wasted musous when musou filling (or
at least it's at a minimum) that is capable of defeating playable officers in
just one musou. With attack 20, charge 20, and fill 20, his musou filling
method is very easy with his first four horizontal normal attacks, and
a very useful C5. The Dragon Arms is sometimes not even needed. Yuan Shao is
basically a Sun Jian with slightly slower musou filling. Yuan Shao however,
is a bit more flexible with his escaping jump charge.
All the characters from Pang De to Cao Ren, are capable of defeating playable
officers in one musou. Zuo Ci is near the bottom of this list, because
he needs safety distance to use his C4, and it can sometimes miss, and allow
peons to slip through. Pang De's C3 still works quite well, even with a fill
20 only, and a long musou bar, but obviously only in massive crowds.
His other musou filling methods are his C4, C6, and possibly his jump charge.
Both his C4, and C6 are excellent, but may force him to waste his musou.
Something worth considering though, is that because Pang De's musou is
planted, he is the best in this tier, or perhaps in this game, against
multiple officers. Zhang Liao and Lu Meng would waste a lot less musous for
defense, but their musous are a bit lacking against playable officers. Lu
Meng's musou is stronger than Zhang Liao's because of one extra hit, and this
is quite an important difference. Lu Meng needs only two or three normal
attacks preceding his musou, to defeat playable officers, as fast as Sun Jian,
or Pang De. And this is very easy to achieve. Zhang Liao, only the other hand,
needs more normal attacks, and the fact that he will have to get past his
risky third normal attack to be able equal Lu Meng's offensive ability against
playable officers. However, Zhang Liao's scattering jump charge is quite
useful for offsetting this disadvantage. Zhang Liao's C6 makes him a bit
better than Lu Meng for musou filling purposes, more flexibility, and
less wasted musous. Zhang Liao or Lu Meng....take your pick.
Lu Xun should be next. He has two methods for defeating playable officers
quickly, but neither are as effective as the characters that are above him.
His C1 method needs proper timing, and enough safety distance to execute it.
His C3 also needs some safety distance to execute. Gan Ning is incapable of
defeating playable officers in one musou without ice, if you equip him with
the Dragon Arms. However, if you give him the Way of Musou, it is possible,
but it would mean that he needs to waste a lot of musous after his C6,
now that he doesn't have the Dragon Arms to cancel the recovery time.
The Dragon Arms setup is by far the best way to go. Even without it, his
offense, like Ling Tong's, needs only a few extra hits to defeat playable
officers, and this could be his C6, C5, or his very abusable C1 with the
Dragon Arms. Like Gan Ning, Ling Tong needs ice to defeat playable officers,
but, he is not far from it at all, as he needs only several hits to complete
the damage needed to deplete a health bar of a playable officer. And with the
most consistent freezing method in the game, Ling Tong's offense is incredibly
fast. He still has flaws when facing massive crowds or multiple officers
though. His placement should be a little lower in those cases. Cao Ren, is
basically an inferior Pang De. His C3 can be abused when given the chance.
But in close combat he'll have to resort to his C6, which can make him
waste musous for defense. Zuo Ci is similar to Cao Ren with both distanced
combat methods and close combat methods for musou filling, but both of Zuo Ci's
are inferior to Cao Ren's. Zuo Ci's C4 takes longer to execute, and has
some potholes. When in close combat, Zuo Ci's normal attacks, and escaping
with his jump charge, simply means that it's less effective than Cao Ren's
C6.
Xu Huang's placement is quite strictly, right here. His long musou plus
his C3 will defeat regular officers in on combo, while musou filling at the
same time. Against playable officers, he only needs ice, and he pretty
much has a 60% chance to secure a one-musou-KO offense. His C1, and
jump charge are also very useful against mounted officers.
The problem with the ordering in this tier is that I've valued characters
who can defeat playable officers in one musou, higher. But in most situations,
against singular regular generic officers, the ones that musou fill the fastest
are the best. Liu Bei deserves quite a high rank in this tier, when not
fighting against playable officers. But since he has no chance at
kill playable officers in one musou, I've decided to place him here, because
he is at a disadvantage against playable officers.
From Liu Bei to Xing Cai, are characters who are capable of a one-musou
offense against regular officers, and not playable officers. The exception
is Da Qiao, but her freezing methods aren't very consistent. Liu Bei has
the fastest musou filling method with his C3. The problem with Liu Bei, is
his fourth normal attack, and just because of this one jabbing strike, it
makes him incompatible with a long musou, or I should say, he's most compatible
with his recommended setup. If you want to give him a long musou in hopes of
raising his offense against playable officers, it can't quite be done, because
his offensive speed overall is a lot slower. The point with his configuration
is a short musou and fill 40. This enables him to musou fill easily with a
short C3. With his jabbing fourth normal attack, his defense is at risk.
If you want to give him a long musou bar, the way to fight defensively then, is
to enter crowds with his C5, but this can't always be done, so he's left with
partial musou filling with his jump charge. Then basically he's another Zhou Yu,
but with a stronger musou. This would demote him to the tier lower, as
he wouldnt be much different from Sun Quan's or Sima Yi's offensive speed.
Wei Yan, and Xing Cai, like Liu Bei have no chance at defeating playable
officers on one musou, with their suggested configuration. If you give them
the Ice Orb, you have roughly a guaranteed 60% chance to defeat both regular
and playable officers in one musou only, but because most officers in a
stage are regular officers, I recommend the Fire Orb. Xing Cai is at the bottom,
because it's a lot harder for her to set fire with her C3, especially in
large crowds. Da Qiao's offense is basically musou filling with her normal
attacks, and then using her true musou. She does have a chance at freezing
officers with her C3, C4, or C5. Her C5 is the best choice for the reasons
that, her fourth normal attack is very protective, her C5 will hit
officers regardless of blocking, and if ice fails, she'll still be able to
use her true musou to juggle the officer. I've placed her here however, because
playable officers tend to come in massive crowd sizes, and pulling off her C5
safely, isn't easy.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4th Tier: Excellent Defense; Good Offense
Sun Quan, Sima Yi, Zhang He, Nu Wa, Guan Yu, Xiahou Dun, Zhang Fei,
Jiang Wei, Guan Ping, Pang Tong, Meng Huo, Zhu Rong, Taishi Ci, Dong Zhuo,
Xiao Qiao, Zhou Yu, Yue Ying, Cao Cao, Cao Pi, Sun Shang Xiang
This tier is an interesting one. There shouldn't be a separation between the
two types of characters, fast fill but two-musou-KO offense per officer,
and slow fill but one-musou-KO offense per officer. If you try to do
consistent time tests or something like that, these characters are quite close.
The point is, they are within the same tier, but it's impossible to measure
and place them accurately because they are of two different types of offense,
and it really depends on the situation. Sun Quan and Sima Yi are at the top
of this tier, while all the others can almost be ordered freely. However,
with the two-musou-KO per officer characters, the order should almost be
clear, with Guan Yu, Xiahou Dun, Zhang Fei, Guan Ping, Yue Ying, Cao Cao,
Cao Pi. There may be a good arguement for Xiahou Dun being higher, but this
should be accurately, the order. And this order is set because of an overall
analysis on musou filling ability, and most important, officer freezing ability.
Sun Quan is placed in this tier because often his most useful charge attack is
his C6, and because it scatters, it is ultimately inferior to Sun Jian's C5.
Sun Jian is much better in all crowd sizes. In massive crowds, having four
horizontal normal attacks followed by a 360 charge attack, Sun Jian's
offense is incredible. Therefore, he's only in this tier for slower offense
because of wasted musous, like Nu Wa, and Dong Zhuo. There's quite a huge
difference between Sun Quan's musou filling methods, and everyone else's in
the 3rd tier. The same sort of argument goes for Sima Yi. It's not hard to
keep enemies at the preferred distance, so his musou filling is quite good,
but a lot slower than Zhuge Liang's, and Zuo Ci's. Sun Quan and Sima Yi are
placed at the top because they are superior to all others in this tier,
against playable officers.
Zhang He has a slight chance at defeating playable officers in one musou
if you set fire with his C3 before his musou. But this is very hard, because
playable officers often come in massive crowds. And in massive crowds, it
not easy to use his musou effectively because of unwanted displacement. This is
somewhat like Xiao Qiao's musou problems, but a lot less problematic. Often
one jump charge will be enough to scatter crowds to set up for his musou.
Although Zhang He does have fast musou filling methods, I've placed him here,
because his musou isn't completely consistent, in large crowd sizes, his
musou rage combat is one of the worst, and his jump charge musou filling method
requires always a safe landing. When crowds are scattered, he will need to
lead crowds for a bit until they are more clustered together. Nu Wa is very
similar to Zhang He. She has no chance at defeating playable officers in one
musou, while Zhang He has a very small chance. Nu Wa's C1 musou filling method,
becomes a problem in massive crowds, because she will often have to waste her
musou. Also, against mounted generals in large crowds, she has no choice but
to use her true musou to dismount them. And like Zhang He, after
her true musou, crowds are scattered, which means she will have to lead
crowds until they are dense enough for safe musou filling with her C1.
However, against unmounted regular officers, her offense is very very fast.
Having two methods of musou filling for Nu Wa means a lot for versatility.
Her C1 is incredible in smaller crowd sizes. And when crowds are larger,
her C3 will be enough to musou fill easily, and set up officers for her
true musou at the same time.
Meng Huo musou fills quite quickly with his jump charge, and his C3.
The Light Orb gives him a much faster offense against officers, but the
Ice Orb is the best choice for maximized offense. Although, it's very hard
to freeze playable officers because his C3 is slow, and playable officers
are often in massive crowds. Meng Huo also doesn't have a good crowd scattering
attack. Zhu Rong is in some ways similar to Meng Huo. They are both
capable of quite musou filling quite quickly, and both have a very hard time
defeating playable officers in one musou. Zhu Rong, like Zhang He, needs to
set fire through her C3.
Guan Yu, as usual is one that is definitely hard to place. He shouldn't really
be nailed for haing a relatively weaker attack, against playable officers,
because of playable officers often come in massive crowds, and Guan Yu's
offense is incredible in massive crowds. Even though his offense against
playable officers is often a series of short true musous, it is one of the
fastest offenses, because officers and peons are all staying in one spot, for
easy musou refilling. Against regular officers, with a longer musou now, he
has a chance at killing them in one musou with ice, and freezing officers with
his C6 is very easy to do. Even if he doesn't use ice, his offense is still
a very fast one, despite his light weapon and juggling musou. One short true
musou, and then a full one, is often enough to defeat regular officers,
and this is possible in quite a large range of crowd sizes. The crowd size
needed is a size that is large enough to refill his musou after a short
true musou. There aren't many situations where Guan Yu's offense is slow.
The only one is against playable officers in small crowds, but this is quite
rare. Xiahou Dun's offense is quite close to Guan Yu's. Guan Yu's is easier
to execute, and faster because of his useful true musou ending. But Xiahou Dun
is much better at freezing officers, with his C3, and because his musou
is very officer-oriented, musou filling is very very easy with him.
Xiahou Dun's offense is very fast, in most crowd sizes. Zhang Fei's C3
does have one of the best officer freezing potentials in the game, but it's a
lot less effective than Ling Tong's. In large crowds, he's basically forced to
execute his musou, which isn't a big deal obviously. He's still basically
guaranteed a 60% chance of freezing officers, just that he is not as flexible
as Ling Tong is. His offense is basically like Xiahou Dun's, with a C3 that
has high freezing chances, and a strong juggling musou. Xiahou Dun's musou
is a bit better in terms of ability to quick musou refilling. And Xiahou Dun's
musou filling is a bit faster with a shorter musou bar. Jiang Wei's also
another Xiahou Dun and Zhang Fei, except with a musou that is a bit better
at crowd clearing, which I have considered as more of a bad thing than a good
thing, if we are measuring offensive speed against officers in crowds.
Jiang Wei's C3 is a lot less effective, if we compare it to Xiahou Dun's or
Zhang Fei's. Xiahou Dun's is very safe to execute, even in the middle of
massive crowds, while Zhang Fei's is unblockable. Jiang Wei's C3 needs a bit
more care, since during his second normal attack and the execution of his
C3, is where his weakness is at. This simply means that he can't walk
straight up to an officer in a massive crowd and simply execute his C3.
In massive crowds, his offense is quite strictly, musou filling, and then
using his musou, while others, such as Guan Yu and Xiahou Dun are capable of
a much faster or efficient offense. However, Jiang Wei does have a very useful
C1, that can be used against approaching officers for a very quick victory
over regular officers. Jiang Wei also has very many ways to freeze officers,
which is kind of nice, however having many methods doesn't mean very much
for versatility, as Zhang Fei's C3 itself, is ultimately better at freezing
officers. Guan Ping, like Jiang Wei, has fast musou filling and a fast offense
against regular officers with two musous, without ice. Guan Ping also lacks
an abusable officer freezing method, while Xiahou Dun has his C3, Guan Yu
has his C6, and Zhang Fei has his C3. Guan Ping's C3 is very useful and can be
compared to Jiang Wei's C1, because both enable them to defeat officers in
one musou only, but requires safety distance, and often work only against
officers approaching from a distance. The difference is that Jiang Wei's
C1 has 100% consistency, while Guan Ping's has 60%, because it relies on ice.
Guan Ping is also a lot less able, in freezing officers with his other charge
attacks. His C5 is very hard to master, and his C4 as a scattering attack
is not as useful because if ice fails, he's scattering crowds, and potentially
wasting musous because of long charge recovery. Jiang Wei is better than Guan
Ping, in almost every way. Yue Ying is last in this paragraph for
likely the worst ability in freezing officers. Her C3 is useful, but works
in smaller crowd sizes, and requires enemies to be only in front of her.
Her only unblockable charge attack is her C5, but it's not so easy to
make use of it, because of strict distances or positioning. However,
because her normal attacks are so incredible with safe musou filling,
and because she has a long musou bar and thus a long true musou, she is
a lot better against playable officers, even though her freezing ability
is very poor against playable officers in massive crowds. Cao Cao gets a very
small promotion, because his C3 is now very useful in massive crowds with his
fill 40 configuration. he is now essentially a Liu Bei with a juggling musou.
Nothing much to note on Cao Cao; he is now very versatile, and is able to
take on almost any crowd size you throw at him. His C6 is the best against
officers in very small crowd sizes, for the highest freezing probability in
the game. His C5 will work in a large range of medium crowd sizes, and
then his C3 will take care of massive crowds.
Taishi Ci is also somewhat hard to place. He is another character that is
capable of defeating regular officers in one musou, and playable officers
with ice, but his flaw lies only in limitations with his musou filling
methods. You really have to have Taishi Ci mastered to realize his high
placement. It's important to aim his jump charge in the right direction,
to purposely miss officers or let them block his jump charge, for a perfect
musou setup. But, this is often not an easy thing to do. Against playable
officers, he needs ice to be successful on his C5. After that, he can
add a jump charge after it, for two double damaging charge attacks. His
musou then, will take care of the rest. Like Meng Huo and Zhu Rong, he has
a chance at defeating playable officers in one swift combo, but it's not
easy to execute, as he needs to have a lot of safety distance, to pull it
off. There's also a small range of crowd sizes that is hard for him to fight
in. And he has some problems against multiple officers. In my Ru Xu Kou
video for Taishi Ci, an example of this is when Im facing Zhang Liao and
another officer at the same time, with small crowd sizes.
Dong Zhuo has very fast musou filling, but his method with his jump charge
means a high potential of wasted musous. He also has no chance at killing
playable officers in one musou. Although he could be compared to the other
type of characters in this tier, whom are two-musou-KO per officer types,
because in massive crowds his normal attacks will be enough to fill his
short musou bar, and he can easily maneuver behind officers with his
musou to deal damage with some of his musou strikes. However, in most
crowd sizes, his best musou filling method involves his jump charge,
which means a high chance of wasted musous. He isn't too different from Taishi
Ci, as it is best to aim his jump charge, in a way to purposely miss
officers, to set up for his musou.
Zhou Yu and Xiao Qiao are the slowest of that one-musou-KO type, in this tier.
Zhou Yu's musou filling often consists of his jump charge for partial musou
filling, and then his normal attacks. Against massive crowds, his running
attack works quite well, but crowds really need to be massive, and dense.
Zhou Yu needs ice to defeat playable officers in one musou, and Xiao Qiao's
musou itself is strong enough, but requires no inteference from surrounded
crowds, because of unwanted displacement. Although Xiao Qiao's musou is
very strong, her offense is a relatively slower one, because she needs to
make use of crowd scattering strategies to set up properly for her musou.
Cao Pi remains the same, as his most ideal setup is probably not much
different from his 4th weapon. He is very deadly with his many
ice orb charge attack combos, and it is very easy to abuse them before
crowds start to surround him, and it takes very massive crowds to really
limit him to using only normal attacks. This is the only reason why I've
place him this high. If you only use his C5 charge attack itself, and his
normal attacks in massive crowds, he is just another Sun Quan or Dong Zhuo,
with lots of wasted musous, but a slowest offense with a juggling musou.
His C2 and C2 ice orbs are very safe and very effective against officers
in almost all crowd sizes, and his freezing ability is very good.
Sun Shang Xiang is placed in this tier for a two-musou-KO offense,
without ice. Her freezing ability isn't very good, because she can't walk
up to officers in the middle of crowds and attack recklessly. And having no
useful unblockable attacks, it's a bit harder for her to freeze officers.
Since we are considering mastered characters, I have still decided to place
Sun Shang Xiang in this tier. Although, her musou is one of the hardest in
the game to control properly to juggle officers. And her musou
basically has no potential against multiple officers. She also needs to waste
her musou for dismounting officers. Perhaps the best way to freeze an officer
is with a C6 (which officers will likely block). Knowing that officers will
likely block it, you can easily control it to scatter peons into the blocking
officer (and musou fill at the same time of course), and then quickly
attempt to freeze the officer with her C3. The idea behind this method is
quite similar to Xiao Qiao's strategies of isolating officers temporarily
in large crowds, to set up for her musou.
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5th Tier: Good Defense; Mediocre Offense
Zhen Ji, Huang Zhong, Diao Chan
The order here is not important. It's impossible to compare Zhen Ji and Huang
Zhong accurately, because Huang Zhong's offense is very consistent, while Zhen
Ji's is a lot more freestyle. Her offense is quite fast in small crowd
sizes, because of her C1 and jump charge combo. She is placed lower, in this
tier, because even though this combo is very deadly, it doesn't contribute to
musou filling. Her offense is also quite slow in massive crowds. She is
able to fill her musou easily with just her normal attacks if crowds are
very large and dense, but it just means again, that her crowd clearing
ability is excellent, and her offense against officers, is yet again,
an attempt to isolate officers by defeating crowds of peons quickly.
No really need to discuss Huang Zhong. His archery methods give him a much
faster offense. He just needs to be in the right place to execute his C1
safely, and his offense is often consistently two C1's, one C3, and full
true musou, against regular officers in quite a large range of crowd sizes.
His offense is only a notch below the ones in the 4th tier.
Diao Chan does have the worst defense in this tier, but it doesn't mean very
much, since she's quite compatible with a heavy weapon, which gives her
the non-flinching property. With the Dragon Arms equipped, the C3 musou
filling strategy I have mentioned in her section, fills her musou in a large
range of crowd sizes, and best of all, because of her jump charge, she is
able to guarantee success with her musou regardless of whether officers are
blocking or not. This mean's that she is more flexible and more
consistent than Xu Zhu and Fu Xi. Although she has a short musou bar, with
the strongest attack strength in the game, her offense against regular
officers is a quick, two-musou offense.
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6th Tier: Good Defense; Slow Offense
Xu Zhu, Fu Xi
Xu Zhu and Fu Xi are very similar. Both are very slow on foot, which
means after scattering officers, they can't quite hope to capitalize on the
opportunity to strike for an easy way to activate the Ice Orb for double
musou damage. Both of them have very good musou filling ability, but no
charge attack that is useful for a fast offense against officers. Others
like Zhang Fei and Xu Huang have charge attacks that musou fill, and
don't scatter. And other character who lack unblockable charge attacks, like
Sun Shang Xiang and Xiao Qiao, can resort to scattering charge attacks,
because of their fast walking speed. Both Xu Zhu and Fu Xi rely on primarily
their C4's or normal attacks for musou filling, both have musous that hard
to juggle officers with, both have very slow walking speed, both have
relatively poor methods of freezing officers, and both have very useful
jump attacks to repel the enemy. Although Xu Zhu's C5 is likely his only
method of freezing officers in large crowds, it's better than any other
method Fu Xi has. Fu Xi's C6 comes close, but the execution time is much longer.
Xu Zhu's C5 is essentially the same as Yue Ying's or Xu Huang's as they
all require strict distance calculations, or positioning, and a very useful
fourth normal attack preceding it. Fu Xi's C2, and C3 work against officers
that aren't blocking, and in small crowds only. Generally, both these two
have a hard time freezing officers, and somewhat of a hard time
juggling officers with their musous. Xu Zhu's a bit better because it's a bit
easier to juggle officers with his musou, and he gets the fire
from his true musou. Fu Xi, having the need to equip to the Dragon Arms,
must go through his C1 to set fire to officers, and this requires a bit of
safety distance to pull off.
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7th Tier: Good Defense; Slow Offense
Xiahou Yuan, Dian Wei
Xiahou Yuan's offense is just slow. His defense is now obviously excellent.
Killing officers in one musou with ice isn't easy. With the Ice Arrows,
he needs officers to be in the front lines of a crowd. Against officers
in small crowd sizes, Xiahou Yuan is excellent, but his offensive speed
decreases greatly in massive crowds. His Ice Arrows method doesn't work
in this case. He is forced to musou fill with a hit and run method with his
C1 purposely skipping his C1 ending. Musou filling should be quick in one
C1, and then his offense is quite strictly a two-musou-per officer type of
offense.
Dian Wei now has high fill and a short musou. Like Xiahou Yuan, his offense
is quite fast against officers in small crowds, and his C5 and C6 are very
good at freezing officers. But in massive crowds, his offense is a lot slower
because his choices are limited. Like Cao Pi, his normal attacks are quite
good in massive crowds, and his C4 is another possibility, but both of these
possibilities have a result of wasted musous. with the short reach of his
fifth normal attack, his C6 executes well in only smaller crowd sizes.
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8th Tier: Decent Defense; Very Slow Offense
Zhang Jiao
Zhang Jiao now has a very defense, and surprisingly, with full weapon
customization, the top 48 characters have very reliable survival strategies
in Chaos Mode.
Zhang Jiao's good defense is very simple. He is now fast enough to enter
any crowd with the beginning of his C3. This pretty much secures his
defense, and all that he needed was fast walking speed. There are still
very minor flaws, but as I said, they are very minor. His C3 does have potholes.
It may be hard if you do it against a crowd that is very wide, which means
it's easy for the crowd to surround him. But of course, this can be
avoided, and is simply just a limitation. The only real pothole, is that
his C3 is his only method of attacking safely in larger crowd sizes, and
he's vulnerable against running attacks. He's at a slightly disadvantage when
using his C3 against an approaching officer.
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9th Tier: Poor Defense
Huang Gai, Sun Ce
New candidates for the bottom tier, are Huang Gai and Sun Ce. Both Huang
Gai and Sun Ce are incapable of a very good defense, even when configured
with a short musou bar and high fill.
Lets look at Huang Gai first.
Huang Gai's flaw is the lack of range in his third and fourth normal attacks,
and the fact that he has nothing useful, before these normal attacks.
He needs to get past his third and fourth normal attacks in order to
execute his C6. Although his first two normal attacks have decent reach
and horizontal range, it is still not good enough for musou filling,
when configured with fill 40, and the recovery after his second normal attack
is also not quite fast enough. Because of these results, I have decided to
give him a light weapon to minimize the risks when going through his
third and fourth normal attacks. If you keep enemies always in front of him
only, his defense is not too bad with a light weapon. His C4 and C6 are
much easier to execute now.
Sun Ce has almost no defensive benefits from a light weapon. His attacking
speed with a medium weight weapon is very fast already. Sun Ce suffers from
short reach, and none of his charge attacks are safe or abusable. Also, he
is only mildly compatible with the Dragon Arms. The safest offense is to
use his C4 and C5 to enter crowds, and cancel the recovery time with the
Dragon Arms. Use his C1 to buy time for safer execution of his C4, and C5.
It is tough to execute both these charge attacks safely. But the flaw with
Sun Ce is, even after working hard to make his C4 and C5 safe to execute,
even with the Dragon Arms, a safe recovery is very hard to secure. This
brings me back to the point on Dragon Arms compatibility with characters
who don't have escaping jump charges, and much rely on the properties of
their charge attacks for Dragon Arms compatibility. Sun Jian's first four
normal attacks and C5 give him a very safe recovery with the Dragon Arms,
and this is mainly because his C5 has 360 degree range, decent reach, and is
planted. Sun Ce's C5 is the safest option because after you get a safe
execution, a safe recovery isn't too hard. His C5 isn't quite planted, but
it can be controlled in a way to hit enemies with no threats behind him.
Because he moves forward during his C4, there's no way to perfect his jumping
to ensure 100% safety after it with the Dragon Arms. Jumping forward isn't
a good option. Jumping backwards is probably the best option, but still not
a good one. Jumping anywhere else is just as dangerous. Doing a very short
jump with a quick jump attack is another option, but another one that isn't
any better. His C3 can be used in a very specific way, by positioning officers
slightly to his right side, while steering his C3 in a clockwise direction.
This is important to direct his C3 strikes only from his left side, as this
maximizes the reach. This makes his C3 execution very safe, and all he needs
is no threats behind him. Make use of the distance he covers during his
C3 ending, to escape and then jump away. This method is a very slow
musou filling method, but Sun Ce's safest method of offense. The execution
is easy to maximize, and the recovery is the safest of all his possibilities.
But it's easy to see that this method is quite limited in large crowd sizes.
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10.01 - Bonus Attribute Chart
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Here is a simple chart to show how many Bonus Attributes are acquired after
battle depending on the difficulty setting, and the difficulty of the stage
itself.
Just a reminder, all stages in Legend Mode are equivalent to 5-star stages.
Unfortunately, the appearance of these Bonus Attributes are random.
Before checking out this chart, my recommendation is to just do it on Chaos.
At the Battle of Shi Ting, you can rush Cao Xiu. Doing it with Lu Bu or others
in the top tiers, should be simple. The stage should take only about a
minute to complete, and you'll get 6 Bonus Attributes after. There is however,
a time limit to this. If you take too long, Cao Pi will show up, and then,
the victory conditions change, and you'll have to deal with him instead.
Here's my recommendation. Get a Heavy weapon for Zhuge Liang, with attack and
musou on it of course. And each time you play Shi Ting, pick up the Musou
Rage Token from the crate near the center of the stage, rush Cao Xiu, and
it should take less than one musou in Musou Rage to kill him.
Here's the chart indicating the numbers of Bonus Attributes acquired
The legend is simple:
The rows represent the stage difficulty
The columns represent the difficulty setting
* ** *** **** *****
NOVICE 1 1 1 1 1
EASY 1 1 1 2 2
NORMAL 1 1 2 2 3
HARD 1 2 2 3 3
CHAOS 2 4 4 6 6
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___________________
10.02 - Zhuge Liang [XL]
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________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
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Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 32
Heavy Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Charge 18
Musou 20 Fill 15
Speed 20 Bow 15
Fill 20 Defense 18
Charge 20 Musou 20
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Internal Time Trick Weapon
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Time 16:34:57
Evolution YES
Attack __
Musou __
Life __
Fill __
sorry, I don't have the base numbers for the stats on this weapon, and it's
not listed in the Internal Time Trick Guide.
_________________
Recommended Items
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Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
True Way of Musou
Speed Scroll
Way of Musou/Herbal Remedy
Elemental Orb is irrelevant
________
Analysis
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I have lots to say about Zhuge Liang. First, I highly recommend checking out
my "Zhuge Liang Heavy Weapon Setup" video, to see the capabilities of this
weapon. As you can see from the video summary, he defeats 6 officers in 126
seconds. That's six officers in roughly two minutes. One thing worth noting
is that this musou length is perfect because it will allow him to kill even
playable officers mounted on horse (Taishi Ci in the video). Obviously,
a short musou bar is enough, but with a long one, his musou filling ability is
not worsened, and he is allowed to miss with a few beams during the time
officers at hit off their horses. This offense is the fastest attainable in
the game. However, this is an issue with consistency in massive crowds, as
Lu Bu then, would claim that trophy for fastest consistent offense.
His heavy weapon compatibility is quite exciting. Lets take a look at the
attack comparison:
________________________________________________________________________
Weapon Number 4th 3rd
Weapon Weight Medium Heavy
Weapon Power +32 +40
Weapon ATK Bonus +0 +20
Maxed ATK Value +40 +40
Tiger Amulet +20 +20
Green Scroll x1.5 x1.5
Weight Multiplier x1.0 x1.25
Damage Calculation [(32/10)+40+20]*1.5 [(40/10)+40+20+20]*1.25*1.5
Resulting Damage 94.8 157.5
________________________________________________________________________
The result is a 1.66 increase in damage. This isn't perfectly accurate as my
formula does have sources of error, but you can consider it an extra Green
Scroll equipped. A bit more actually. This is a pretty huge increase in
strength. This upgrade is similar to the three characters, Sun Jian, Xu Zhu,
and Huang Zhong, in that upgrading a weight heavier, and adding on attack,
will be roughly 1.5 times stronger. But Zhuge Liang is quite different.
Since these are multipliers, the effect is more incredible for Zhuge Liang,
because it is his musou that is his offense. Thus, the damage is more like
multiplying both by another 1.5 with the True Way of Musou item equipped.
The ratio between musou strength is obviously the same at 1.66, but it's the
difference that matters. At such a high number the damage difference is huge.
And this is why Zhuge Liang is probably the top tier character for Mt Qi.
His musou is now strong enough to take out commanders with one musou in a musou
rage. And you can imagine the even greater difference, despite the same
attack ratio. And really, no other character is capable of doing this.
Well of course, Sima Yi would, but he isn't even compatible with a heavy weapon.
Gan Ning can obviously do it, but with assistance of ice and a wall.
The point is that Zhuge Liang has both compatibility and consistency.
No doubt, if we exclude musou rage opportunities with the massive crowds in
Mt Qi, and set out to test each character's moveset a bit more accurately,
Zhuge Liang holds the top tier, if such a Mt Qi tier list existed. There's just
no comparison in damage. But even if we exclude Mt Qi, his offense is still
extreme in the average stage. Sure, he may need to waste time run around and
leading in massive crowds, and his musou isn't quite consistent against
multiple officers, but his ability to be the fastest against mounted officers,
high defense officers, playable officers, and commanders, is enough to
compensate.
One important thing is, whatever testing I do with Zhuge Liang, I have to keep
in mind that he has only a speed 20, and charge 20 configuration with this
heavy weapon. Well, speed 20 is all he needs, and charge 20 won't give him
much, but my point is, this extra speed 20 make his musou filling slightly
faster. But a pretty noticeable difference can be seen when facing massive
crowds. His weapon wasn't even maxed out in my video, and he's still capable of
some pretty nasty damage. His theoretical limit has yet to be tested, but
it's easily confirmable, that he is not a top tier character. This extra
speed 20 and charge 20, should make the most different in duelling situations
when he is forced to fight without a musou. His one on one abilities are not
bad with this Internal Time Trick weapon, but imagine his capabilities with
faster walking speed and an extra 20 charge. Lastly, the Way of Musou, for
a true musou is only a recommendation against enemy commanders and high
defense characters, oh and probably mounted playable officers. It also allows
for musou error, in the case you mess up, but we should ignore that for
a tier list evaluation. In the end, for an average stage, the Way of Musou
is a useless item. But then, so is the Herbal Remedy. But imagine what his
duelling abilities would be like (for those of you who have tried one on one
combat with this weapon with his jump charge) if he has an extra speed 20, and
charge 40! Decide on the between the Speed Scroll, Way of Musou, and
Herbal Remedy, or maybe even the Demon Band, for the last item slot, depending
on the stage. Think for yourself.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_____________
10.03 - Lu Bu [XL]
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His weapon, and his overall performance isn't changed much at all, just that
his stats are more focused on offense.
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th
Power 40 Power 40
Medium Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Horse 20
Musou 20 Defense 20
Charge 20 Attack 20
Speed 20 Musou 19
Fill/Def/Life 20 Life 19
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 15:50:53
Evolution NO
Attack 16
Musou 15
Charge 16
Speed 20
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Almost no need for an analysis at all. Lu Bu gains a Charge 20, Fill 20, and
a Speed 20. The Charge will make his C3 ending stronger, which is always
a good thing. Having that fill on the item probably isn't going to do much at
all, since his C3 will practically fill his musou anyway without
the fill bonus. So it may be best to go with either Life or Defense. But
no doubt, anything you put in that last slot will end up being a wasted stat,
because Lu Bu doesn't need a 5th stat. Should this guide emcompass horse
combat however, that last slot should be Horse.
For the ITT weapon recommendation, the four most important stats should be
Attack, Musou, Charge, and Speed. However, there are no evolution attacks on
this weapon, but this changes almost nothing at all for Lu Bu's moveset.
Lastly, while Lu Bu doesnt really need to upgrade his defense at all, also
noted in his Xtreme Legends analysis, he qualifies as one of the 5 characters
in the game that has perfect defense. This perfect defense means offense is
possible with evasion of archers. The five characters are Lu Bu, Zhao Yun,
Zhou Tai, Ma Chao, and Xiao Qiao. Lu Bu with the Dragon Arms equipped is
capable of making a never ending string of C1 followed by a quick
jump attack.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
10.04 - Zhou Tai [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 36
Medium Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Fill 16
Musou 20 Attack 17
Charge 20 Life 15
Fill 20 Speed 15
Speed 20 Musou 18
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 20:03:07
Evolution NO
Musou 15
Attack 13
Fill 13
Speed 14
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Dragon Arms
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Light Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Zhou Tai also doesn't change too much. His recommended weapon is very similar
to his 4th. Strategies with him remain the same: he still has that perfect
defense, and the fastest offense in his tier.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
10.05 - Zhao Yun [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Like most of the reigning top tier characters, Zhao Yun doesn't change much
at all.
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 36
Medium Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Charge 16
Musou 20 Defense 17
Charge 20 Attack 17
Fill 20 Musou 17
Speed 20 Life 17
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 15:50:53
Evolution NO
Musou 15
Attack 16
Charge 16
Speed 20
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Dragon Arms/(Way of Musou)
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Because this tier emphasizes perfect defense, Zhao Yun should be configured with
the Dragon Arms in order for him to remain in this tier. This does, give him
a slower offense, so the Way of Musou is a good alternative if he is played in
an easier stage. But with the Way of Musou equipped, he would then be demoted
to the tier below, and likely hold the bottom position just above the bottom
line, either above or below Nu Wa. He has more flexibility than Nu Wa, but
ultimately a weaker true musou. But even though Zhao Yun's true musou isn't
enough to take out an officer from full health, his incredible normal attacks
should allow him to come very close, as is the case in Xtreme Legends with his
4th weapon. This placement seems accurate, as his offense seems to be
consistently lower than everyone else above. Other than this quick tier list
discussion, Zhao Yun doesn't change much at all, as his recommended 3rd weapon
is only slightly stronger than his 4th.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
10.06 - Ma Chao [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 38
Medium Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Horse 20
Musou 20 Defense 16
Charge 20 Life 15
Fill 20 Speed 15
Speed 20 Attack 17
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 15:50:53
Evolution NO
Attack 16
Musou 15
Charge 16
Speed 20
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
The only difference worth mentioning is the extra Musou bonus on his
recommended 3rd weapon. This extra musou length should be obvious, since his
musou filling is quick and "free". This longer musou length doesn't change his
offense too much, as it will still take a bit over one full true musou to
take out regular officers, but the difference can be seen when facing
stronger officers, such as playable characters. This makes his offense a bit
closer to Zhao Yun's. Both of their offense and defense are about the same
now.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
10.07 - Sun Jian [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended Recommended (alt) 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 40 Power 34
Medium Weight Light Weight Light Weight
Attack 20 Attack 20 Fill 18
Musou 20 Musou 20 Defense 16
Charge 20 Charge 20 Horse 16
Fill 20 Fill 20 Musou 15
Speed 20 Speed 20 Life 15
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 20:03:07 Time 13:27:25
Evolution NO Evolution NO
Musou 15 Musou 17
Attack 13 Attack 16
Fill 13 Charge 13
Speed 14 Speed 13
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Dragon Arms/Ginseng
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Just imagine what Sun Jian is capable of now. He was a mid-low tier character
in Dynasty Warriors 5, because of terrible musou filling ability. He
rises to mid-high tier in Xtreme Legends with his 4th weapon, because the
Dragon Arms allows him to elinimate the recovery time of his C5, thus
eliminating his terrible musou filling ability. And now, with full weapon
customization, he's gained an extra attack 20, and a weapon weight. The
ratio is the same as Zhuge Liang's weapon improvement. Sun Jian is now
quite a high tier character.
First of all, he's very compatible with a short musou setup. His style then
is very similar to Liu Bei's, with very fast musou filling, with his
superb normal attacks and C5, and a musou that is almost strong enough to
kill regular officers in one musou. This is what I had in mind for Sun
Jian before, but then I thought, why not give him a long musou bar?
Sun Jian's C5 along with his first four normal attacks is enough to fill
roughly 4/5 of his musou with a weapon with a musou bonus, when done against
only a group of five peons. And this is with the Dragon Arms equipped.
This means that his musou will fill in any crowds that are larger, which
basically means it'll fill his musou in almost all situations. This is why
the Ginseng might not be much of a need item. The Dragon Arms now isn't much
of a needed item as well, because he doesn't quite need to eliminate his C5
recovery time. But because he doesn't need the Ginseng, keep the Dragon Arms on
for more flexibility with his C1. It's quite a useful attack if its recovery
is also eliminated. The charge bonus on the weapon, is what makes his musou
filling ability so great. A charge 20 bonus for a charge attack only,
contributes just as much musou filling, as a fill 20 bonus. This means, he
basically has a fill 40 sort of thing working for him when he's using his C5.
And of course, he gets the extra charge damage.
Now Sun Jian is a Liu Bei, with a longer musou, and roughly the same musou
filling abilities. Both have a very good musou filling method, and both methods
allow for officers to block a charge attack, in order to easily catch them
off guard afterwards. This adds a very nice touch to their offensive
versatility. The difference between Sun Jian and Liu Bei now, is that Sun Jian
is capable of killing playable officers, and he has a fire built-in C5.
Sun Jian's long musou alone comes very very close to killing playable officers.
All he needs is about one normal attack preceding.
Sun Jian is also quite compatible with a strong light weapon, with the
same weapon statistics. Musou filling is slower, and musou strength is a lot
weaker, but his offense is still quite fast, because his light attack speed
enables him to do his many horizontal normal attacks even in massive crowds.
He's capable of the same kind of offense if he uses normal attacks before
he executes his long musou. However, this should be an inferior alternative,
because it's ultimately slower and weaker. One thing that this light weapon
setup offers is a safer C5 execution, and thus a better defense.
It's quite sad that there's only one light Internal Time Trick weapon with
an attack and musou bonus that has evolution attacks, and that one isn't quite
so useful.
Please check out my Sun Jian video, which shows this most ideal configuration.
I made it with an edit character, by the name Leo.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_________________
10.08 - Yuan Shao [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 34
Medium Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Fill 15
Musou 20 Horse 15
Charge 20 Bow 15
Fill 20 Defense 18
Speed 20 Musou 17
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 20:03:07
Evolution NO
Musou 15
Attack 13
Fill 13
Speed 14
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Dragon Arms
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Like Sun Jian, Yuan Shao's musou filling methods allow for him to have a longer
musou bar, and thus a better offense. He still has that awesome musou filling
method with the Dragon Arms, that is similar to Xing Cai's. All that has
changed for Yuan Shao is an extra attack bonus on his weapon. Like Sun Jian,
his offense is very fast, and he's capable of defeating playable officers
in one musou.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
10.09 - Pang De [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 36
Medium Weight Light Weight
Attack 20 Luck 15
Musou 20 Horse 17
Charge 20 Defense 15
Fill 20 Attack 16
Speed 20 Life 18
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 20:03:07
Evolution NO
Musou 15
Attack 13
Fill 13
Speed 14
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Ginseng
Light Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Pang De is upgrade by a lot, with a heavier weapon weight, and a longer musou
bar. The longer musou bar and the extra fill 20, give him roughly the same
musou filling ability as with his 4th weapon, which gives him a short musou
bar, but no fill bonus. Pang De's musou filling ability is basically
unchanged, but now he has one of the games best offenses. His C3 still work
against officers in large crowds, and his true musou will make short
work of them. His long true musou itself is enough to defeat playable officers
in one musou. He is only slightly inferior to Sun Jian, because he doesn't
have fast normal attack recovery, which means in smaller crowd sizes,
he'll have to use his C4 or C6, which is a lot less efficient for musou
filling.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
__________________
10.10 - Zhang Liao [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 36
Medium Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Fill 15
Fill 20 Luck 15
Speed 20 Horse 18
Charge 20 Attack 17
Musou 20 Life 17
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 20:03:07
Evolution NO
Musou 15
Attack 13
Fill 13
Speed 14
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Ginseng
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Zhang Liao gradually rises in the each tier list. The major difference is the
extra musou bonus. Everything else is pretty much the same. The problem
with Zhang Liao with a shorter musou bar is that he can't quite kill even
regular officers in one musou alone. He can however fit two normal attacks in,
but this is sadly not enough. Sure, I'm being very picky here, because with
his 4th weapon, a full musou plus two normal attacks preceding is just so
close to him a one-musou-KO per officer type character, but this is necessary
for tier list evaluations. Luckily he has a useful jump charge to deliver the
final blow. Oh, and, I'm only considering two preceding normal attacks, because
his third normal attack is very dangerous in massive crowds. With the extra
speed on his recommended weapon, it's much easier for him to just walk
straight up to an officer in a massive and dense crowd to just start with his
first two normal attacks before he uses his musou. But think about it;
a extra musou 20 will solve all the problems. Since he has long reach,
safe normal attacks, a whopping fill 40, and an incredible C6, there's no
reason why he shouldn't have a longer musou bar. With this musou bar length,
he now has an offense that kills playable officers in one musou. This
enough to compare with Lu Xun, as he was the only one in the Xtreme Legends
tier list with this capability. Gan Ning has no problems filling his musou
with just a fill 20, and shorter reach, with his C6, Zhang Liao should be even
better. This changes the strategies with his C6. In Dynasty Warriors 5, it
would be recommended that you hit blocking officers with it. When now,
if an officer is blocking, you want his C6 to be blocked. And this is the
element that separates Lu Meng from Zhang Liao, the importance of the
difference between these two characters. Both of them have very similar
normal attacks, and thus similar musou filling methods; both their musous
are very similar as well. But, Zhang Liao is much more compatible with a
longer musou bar simply because of his C6. And the way his C6 works against
blocking officers is just perfect.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
10.11 - Lu Meng [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended Recommended (alt) 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 40 Power 36
Medium Weight Medium Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Attack 20 Charge 15
Speed 20 Musou 20 Horse 16
Fill 20 Fill 20 Bow 15
Charge 20 Charge 20 Defense 17
Defense/Life 20 Speed 20 Life 17
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 20:03:07 Time 05:29:22
Evolution NO Evolution YES
Musou 15 Attack 19
Attack 13 Charge 18
Fill 13 Fill 20
Speed 14 Speed 19
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Ginseng
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
It's no surprise for Lu Meng to be compared to Zhang Liao. It's now possible
to analyse the differences, now that Lu Meng isn't stick with a weak
4th weapon.
The first recommended weapon is the preferred one. He is often better than
Zhang Liao against both regular officers and playable officers, if both are to
have this same weapon, because against regular officers, Lu Meng's musou
is much easier to use to defeat them in one musou because he has one extra
strike, and this extra strike makes quite a big difference. Against playable
officers, doing a fire musou with his C1 will take out playable officers.
This method of course lacks consistency, but it is still not too hard to do with
this set up.
The alternative is the same as Zhang Liao's ideal weapon, which has an extra
musou bonus. Lu Meng is however, both, less in need of an extra musou bonus,
because of his better offensive capabilities than Zhang Liao explained above,
and less compatible with a longer musou bar. The lack of useful charge attacks
is what makes him less compatible with an extra musou bonus. But his normal
attack musou filling methods are very safe, and there's really no crowd size
that presents defensive threats for Lu Meng. This configuration is the one
that will be used to maximize Lu Meng, for the tier list. Going further
though, his C1 is in no way wasted. It will prove to be very useful against,
high defense officers.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________
10.12 - Lu Xun [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 34
Medium Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Fill 15
Musou 20 Luck 18
Charge 20 Speed 20
Fill 20 Attack 15
Speed 20 Musou 19
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 20:03:07
Evolution NO
Musou 15
Attack 13
Fill 13
Speed 14
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Ginseng
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
No real need to make an edit character through destiny mode or get a new
weapon by the Internal Time Trick. Lu Xun's 4th weapon is close enough to his
ideal weapon. Lu Xun is still capable of the same high tier offense and
defense.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_________________
10.13 - Ling Tong [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 36
Medium Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Charge 16
Musou 20 Speed 19
Charge 20 Life 15
Fill 20 Luck 16
Speed 20 Attack 17
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 10:22:41
Evolution YES
Musou 19
Attack 20
Defense 18
Charge 18
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
All that has changed for Ling Tong is an extra musou 20. This makes his offense
even more incredible. His true musou alone now is enough to take out regular
officers. And with his fast musou filling ability and one of the best
officer freezing abiltities, Ling Tong is a very fast offensive character.
His musou now, falls short a bit, against playable officers, but is still
extremely effective because of his high freezing chances with his C4.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
10.14 - Gan Ning [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 38
Medium Weight Light Weight
Attack 20 Charge 15
Musou 20 Luck 18
Charge 20 Speed 15
Fill 20 Attack 19
Speed 20 Musou 15
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 20:03:07
Evolution NO
Musou 15
Attack 13
Fill 13
Speed 14
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou/Dragon Arms
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
This is when Gan Ning gets interesting. His medium weight attacking speed is
easily safe enough, even with his marginal reach. The only thing to make sure
is to enter crowds, or danger with his first two normal attacks, or his
fifth normal attack or C6. The only dangers in his normal attack string is
during his third and fourth normal attacks. With his easy to execute, and
unblockable C6, with this weapon it'll fill his musou in even a crowd as small
as a group of five peons, and this is with only a fill 20. His C6 thus, allows
him to easily musou fill while fighting against officers. One C6, that's all
it takes; if the officer is frozen, he's finished. But now, with a medium
weight weapon, he is capable of killing regular officers without ice, easily
if you have his musou control mastered. Please have a look at my "How to Use
Gan Ning's Musou" video. So either way, ice or no ice, he's almost guaranteed
a KO'd officer. This weapon upgrades his offense quite a bit.
Now, there are two possible configurations. Lets first discuss what Gan Ning
is capable of without his true musou. With the Dragon Arms equipped, his
C6 is a charge attack with invincible execution and fast recovery. He needs
two run throughs of his musou, each hitting twice, to defeat regular officers
in one musou without ice. Against playable officers, it's not possible.
Well, it actually is, but the goal is to hit five times in three run throughs.
Getting in three run throughs is hard with this musou bar length. What you
need to do is have the first run through hit only once, so that the officer is
still on the ground. This maximizes musou time because you'll be doing his
musou right up in front of officers instead of at some distance away. Now,
you just need to hit the officer four times in the next two run throughs.
This isn't shown in the video. It's probably not even worth discussing, and
showing anyway, because it's extremely hard to do. I just wanted to share
the theory behind it. It's possible, but very hard because after the first
run through, the camera angle is not very suitable at all. Anyway, with
his Dragon Arms setup, playable officers are only a few slashes away from
defeat. And this can often be easily done with his C1 with the Dragon Arms.
The alternative is to give him the Way of Musou. This will enable him to
kill regular officers with just three hits in two run throughs, not including
the ending. This makes it just a little easier. What the Way of Musou is
important for is to allow him to defeat playable officers in one musou now.
The method is the same as against regular officers without the Way of Musou
equipped: he just needs the same old easier to execute, four hits in two
run throughs. And then, the ending should deliver the final blow.
Well you can decide what you want, if you want to maximize Gan Ning.
The Way of Musou only upgrades his offense slightly, but does make a difference.
However, with a medium weapon now, his recovery from his C6 is slower.
Without the Dragon Arms, he'll be forced to use his musou in large crowds.
This is often not a big deal, but since the only reason for equipping the
Way of Musou is to have a better offense against playable officers, and
since playable officers are often accompanied by large crowds, it's not
exactly easy to defeat them in one musou at all. And if you need to have his
back facing officers for his C6 execution, then the camera angle can be a
problem if you execute his musou facing that way. The Way of Musou as a solution
to playable officers doesn't seem quite so elegant.
Anyway, there's all the discussion needed. Gan Ning fans, I highly recommend
this weapon.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
10.15 - Cao Ren [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended Recommended (alt) 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 40 Power 32
Medium Weight Light Weight Light Weight
Attack 20 Attack 20 Fill 15
Life 20 Speed 20 Bow 15
Defense 20 Musou 20 Defense 18
Fill 20 Fill 20 Attack 15
Speed 20 Charge 20 Life 19
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 02:59:31 Time 09:52:02
Evolution YES Evolution NO
Musou 20 Musou 17
Attack 18 Attack 15
Defense 17 Defense 19
Fill 19 Speed 13
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll Green Scroll
Wind Scroll Way of Musou
True Way of Musou True Way of Musou
Tortoise Amulet Speed Scroll
Fire Orb/Ice Orb Fire Orb/Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
His first recommendation is obviously the best one. The second one is only
listed as more of an interesting fact. With speed 40, he'll be able to run
fast enough to be able to abuse his C3 with complete safety. This is similar
to Xiahou Yuan's speed 40 setup. However, this is quite a slow musou filling
process, because he has to run for a long time when facing massive crowds.
With his first recommended configuration, he still has the same high defense
no-flinching approach. With a medium weapon, his musou filling is slightly
upgraded. His offense now, is a lot faster. With a longer musou, and
a stronger attack, Cao Ren is quite a high tier character now.
The same strategies still apply. Use his C3 for distanced combat, and C6
for close combat. Equip the Fire Orb, or Ice Orb, to purposely allow officers
to block his C6.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________
10.16 - Zuo Ci [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended Recommended (Alt) 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 40 Power 40
Medium Weight Light Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Attack 20 Charge 15
Musou 20 Musou 20 Bow 15
Charge 20 Charge 20 Fill 20
Fill 20 Fill 20 Defense 15
Speed 20 Speed 20 Musou 20
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 20:03:07 Time 13:27:25
Evolution NO Evolution NO
Musou 15 Musou 17
Attack 13 Attack 16
Fill 13 Charge 13
Speed 14 Speed 13
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
With a light weapon and an attack bonus on it, Zuo Ci has a slightly higher
attack rating than with his 4th weapon, which doesn't have an attack bonus.
The result is a much more defensive Zuo Ci. His C4 executes a lot faster now,
and with speed 20, his C4 is also easier to use. His offensive strategy is
still primarily his C4 for musou filling, and then true musou against officers.
Since he's configured with a light weapon now, his normal attacks are noticeably
safer, so the alternative method of an offense, with doing his first five
normal attacks and then escaping with his jump charge, is much more reliable.
His C6 also becomes very reliable to use, because the execution time is much
safer. The recovery time after the first part of his C6 is faster than the
second part, so just keep this in mind when using it in crowds, as going
through to the second part may cause him to waste his musou for defense.
What this light weapon does for him though is make his musou filling a lot
easier and his C4 much safer to execute even when using for close combat,
because the execution time is a lot faster. But his offensive capabilities
against officers is roughly the same.
Since Zuo Ci's still very capable with a medium weight weapon, it seems best
to sacriface flexibility and ease of use, for a stronger offense. His medium
3rd weapon recommendation will be his primary one, and the one that
decides his highest tier list placement. His light weapon recommendation
however, should still remain, as an alternative. With this medium weapon,
and his strong musou by default, his musou is strong enough to take out
even playable officers. And again with the speed bonus on it, he is slightly
easier to use, than with his 4th weapon, because he'll be able to execute
his C4 a bit more easily.
Something else that is very nice with Zuo Ci's musou is that it's a bit easier
for him to hit mounted officers, and keep juggling them. Others, like
Ling Tong's, are not as good for mounted generals. And well, Gan Ning then,
would be completely limited to using his regular attacks before he can
execute a musou.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
10.17 - Xu Huang [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 38
Heavy Weight Light Weight
Attack 20 Fill 15
Musou 20 Luck 15
Fill 20 Speed 15
Speed 20 Attack 17
Life/Defense 20 Life 18
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 16:34:57
Evolution YES
Life __
Musou __
Attack __
Fill __
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Xu Huang is compatible with a heavy weapon believe it or not. This makes his
moveset a lot less interesting because all he is practically able to do is
his C3, oh and of course his jump charge. But for maximization, we will
consider Xu Huang's heavy weapon configuration for his tier list placement.
But keep in mind a medium weapon is also very good. With a medium his C3 is
just as easy to execute as with a light. He's basically 1.25 times stronger.
However, his C6 is a bit harder to execute safely. With a heavy weapon,
his C3 is still very easy to execute, so he's 1.56 times stronger than with
his 4th weapon. Transitioning two weapon weights, means as much as another
Green Scroll equipped.
I have a video showing Xu Huang's heavy weapon capabilities. And the video
description is quite nice to serve as an analysis.
---
His C3 is still very safe in large crowds, but getting hit is almost
unavoidable in large crowds. But with a heavy weapon he wont flinch, he'll only
get scratched, so defensive attributes on the weapon will certainly be a bit
useful. This weapon should be configured with a Musou bonus, and Speed bonus.
Fill, Atk, Life, and Defense should take up the next three slots.
Now we have a Xu Huang that will kill regular officers in one musou only with
a full C3 preceding. And has roughly 60% chance to kill playable officers,
in one musou with the assistance of ice. This is a very fast offense, and also
a very safe one too. However, the focus of this setup for Xu Huang is never an
untouched approach.
The perfect method against officers on horse is to use his C1, and then seeing
as Taishi Ci and Lu Xun didnt have crowds immediately behind them, use a quick
Jump Charge to stall the officer, to buy a little bit of time for the crowds
behind him, to catch up. After that the C3 will give you 60% ice probability,
with easy musou filling.
---
I really don't like having no speed on his weapon. An extra speed 20 makes
a big difference for him to walk right up and behind officers to flank them,
and without speed 20, it's not easy to do in massive crowds.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
10.18 - Liu Bei [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 34
Medium Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Luck 20
Charge 20 Horse 15
Fill 20 Speed 18
Speed 20 Defense 18
Life/Defense 20 Musou 15
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 05:29:22
Evolution YES
Attack 19
Charge 18
Fill 20
Speed 19
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Ginseng
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
With fill 40 now, and a short musou, Liu Bei is able to fill his musou
easily with just a short C3 in a very large range of crowd sizes. And with
his short musou, and attack on this 3rd weapon, his musou like Zhang Liao's
is almost enough to defeat regular officers. This means he has incredibly
fast musou filling, and very good officer killing ability. His C3 is also
very ideal because of the safe ending. If officers are blocking, then he
is guaranteed a perfect musou setup, as officers will tend to attack
directly after blocking his C3 ending. That's all the comments needed on
Liu Bei's new maximized configuration. C3 and musou, will take care of
almost everything.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
10.19 - Wei Yan [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 36
Medium Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Charge 16
Charge 20 Luck 15
Fill 20 Defense 16
Speed 20 Attack 18
Musou 20 Musou 15
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 20:03:07
Evolution NO
Musou 15
Attack 13
Fill 13
Speed 14
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Ginseng
Fire Orb/Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Wei Yan doesn't change too much at all. He's pretty ideal with his 4th weapon
already. The difference is an extra fill 20. This enables him to do his
C3 in a much larger range of crowds sizes, and well...the lower bound is
slightly above a group of 5 peons. Which means Wei Yan's defense is pretty much
secured having such an abusable charge attack.
His most ideal offense is still the same. He still needs to be very careful
with musou control to be able to kill regular officers in just one musou.
Keep in mind that it is only this weapon that puts him this high in the tier
list.
And, well, nobody says that you can't use his other charge attacks. Putting
so much detail in his C3 is just for maximization. He still is one of the most
versatile characters in this game.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
10.20 - Da Qiao [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 32
Heavy Weight Heavy Weight
Attack 20 Luck 18
Musou 20 Attack 16
Life 20 Life 15
Defense 20 Defense 15
Fill 20 Musou 19
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 16:34:57
Evolution YES
Life __
Musou __
Attack __
Fill __
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Nothing too much is changed. Da Qiao with her 4th weapon is the most ideal,
because of longer reach. The only thing missing is fill, but it's not quite
worth it, losing reach for higher fill, as Da Qiao's reach is marginally
safe. All those extra musou rages with her 4th weapon also give her an
obvious advantage.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
10.21 - Xing Cai [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 34
Medium Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Horse 15
Musou 20 Speed 16
Charge 20 Defense 17
Fill 20 Musou 17
Speed 20 Life 15
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 20:03:07
Evolution NO
Musou 15
Attack 13
Fill 13
Speed 14
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Dragon Arms
Fire Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
With a stronger attack, Xing Cai is now capable of an offense almost as fast
as Wei Yan's. She simply spends a bit more time musou filling, and needs more
C3 mastery to set up for a musou with fire. It does seem boring, but I find it
quite nice to watch. Her maximized offense is indeed continual abusing of her
C3, and musou.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
10.22 - Sun Quan [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 34
Medium Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Fill 15
Musou 20 Bow 15
Charge 20 Attack 16
Fill 20 Musou 18
Speed 20 Charge 17
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 20:03:07
Evolution NO
Musou 15
Attack 13
Fill 13
Speed 14
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Ginseng
Fire Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Sun Quan is basically the same. He's pretty ideal with his 4th weapon already.
He's not quite capable of a high fill short musou setup like Liu Bei, because
his C3 works a bit differently. The important thing for Liu Bei is that his C3
guarantees a very safe recovery, and allows him to use his musou very
effectively by purposely allowing officers to block his C3 ending.
Sun Quan on the other hand has that extra vertical slash in his C3
ending, and just because of this slash, he is incapable of Liu Bei's setup.
Sun Quan's musou filling in most crowds should still be his C6, and fill 40,
his musou filling is quite fast.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
10.23 - Sima Yi [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 32
Medium Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Charge 15
Musou 20 Defense 16
Charge 20 Musou 19
Fill 20 Fill 15
Speed 20 Attack 15
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 20:03:07
Evolution NO
Musou 15
Attack 13
Fill 13
Speed 14
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Speed Scroll/Way of Musou
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Sima Yi has always been a high tier character; although, this weapon helps
his moveset quite a bit with that extra speed 20. He is now just much easier
to use, and his musou filling is slightly faster. Because only speed 20 is
manditory to give him extreme defense, he can now equip the Way of Musou as
a fifth item. It isn't necessary for more damage against officers, but it
is the unblockable ending that is useful. The Way of Musou allows him to deal
with multiple officers with ease, while without it, he's quite hopeless.
But then, since his defense is so great, it would be best to play in red
health with him, and have the Speed Scroll equipped.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
10.24 - Zhang He [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 36
Medium Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Fill 15
Musou 20 Speed 19
Charge 20 Attack 16
Fill 20 Musou 18
Speed 20 Charge 15
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 20:03:07
Evolution NO
Musou 15
Attack 13
Fill 13
Speed 14
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Dragon Amulet
Fire Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
No need for an analysis. The stats on his 4th weapon are the most ideal,
for his awesome jump charge, and musou.
A note on his heavy weapon compatibility though. His jump charge is quite a bit
slower with a heavy weapon. Although it should be considered as a good
alternative, but he is practically completely limited to just his jump
charge for musou filling. Having a slower jump charge is also slightly
less defensive.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_____________
10.25 - Nu Wa [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 34
Medium Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Charge 15
Charge 20 Fill 19
Fill 20 Bow 16
Speed 20 Speed 15
Life/Defense 20 Attack 19
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time
Evolution
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Light Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Nu Wa's 4th weapon is also very close to, or practically, ideal.
Thus, there is no need for an analysis.
Nu Wa is however, somewhat compatible with a heavy weapon. This makes her
musou a lot stronger, but her musou filling methods are less efficient
and less safe. Her C1 being slower, with that short reach of her's isn't
a good thing. It's still very safe to use, but may be quite hard to use in
massive crowds, such as in Shi Ting. Also, her C3 can't quite be used
safely now, to fill her musou and set up for her musou at the same time, and
losing this valuable combo isn't quite worth it for a stronger musou.
But it is still good to keep in mind that Nu Wa can work well with a heavy
weapon, and well...her musou is incredible with a maxed out heavy weapon.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_________________
10.26 - Pang Tong [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 32
Medium Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Fill 18
Musou 20 Luck 15
Charge 20 Bow 16
Fill 20 Defense 17
Speed 20 Life 15
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 20:03:07
Evolution NO
Musou 15
Attack 13
Fill 13
Speed 14
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Pang Tong is much better with this recommended weapon. His offense is greatly
upgraded, because of an extra attack 20, and musou 20. Pang Tong now
musou fills at roughly the same rate as with his 4th weapon, and his
long true musou is now capable of almost defeating regular officers in one
musou. Because his first normal attack is so useful, you can always sneak
it in before and after a musou to deal a bit more damage. With ice, his musou
will kill playable officers in one musou.
A heavy weapon compatibility has be considered for Pang Tong. His attacking
speed is too slow to execute his C1 + first normal attack combo safely.
This means he'll have much slower musou filling, for just a 1.25 times stronger
musou. This still doesn't quite allow him to defeat playable officers in one
musou. He has a better chance at doing this with a medium weapon because he
can freeze officers quite well with his C3. His C3 with heavy weight attacking
speed, is considerably slower.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
10.27 - Meng Huo [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 36
Heavy Weight Light Weight
Attack 20 Charge 15
Musou 20 Fill 15
Charge 20 Horse 15
Fill 20 Attack 18
Speed/Life/Defense 20 Life 19
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 16:34:57
Evolution YES
Life __
Musou __
Attack __
Fill __
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Ice Orb/Light Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Meng Huo is by far better with a heavy weapon. He's very compatible with a
heavy weapon because his jump charge can be abused. Take a look at the
weapon comparison. His attack is more than 1.5 times stronger, transitioning
from light to heavy, which means more than an extra Green Scroll equipped.
The extra musou bonus means a much better offense, and having this extra
musou bonus is very important for Meng Huo, because how I describe Meng Huo's
musou as being "too good" at crowd clearing. With his light 4th weapon his
musou will often clear the screen of peons in most cases. Giving him a
maxed out heavy weapon and a long musou will allow him to capitalize
against officers with his true musou. Now, he needs only one musou to defeat
regular officers, and thus suffers no disadvantages of fighting without a
filled musou. Although he still does take more than one musou to defeat
playable officers. The Ice Orb will help to minimize this.
Choose between light and ice. His first two normal attacks are quite protective,
and somewhat similar to Xu Huang, his C3 can still be done quite safely,
although no where near as safe as Xu Huang's. But the Light Orb can be very
useful. If his C3 is unblockable, then he can use it to musou fill a lot
faster, instead of always using his jump charge. The problem with the Ice Orb
is that it's useful only against playable officers, and that playable officers
are almost always accompanied by massive crowds. This means that his C3
almost always can't be used.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
10.28 - Zhu Rong [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 34
Light Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Charge 16
Musou 20 Fill 17
Charge 20 Bow 15
Fill 20 Defense 15
Speed 20 Musou 18
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 13:27:25
Evolution NO
Musou 17
Attack 16
Charge 13
Speed 13
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Dragon Arms
Fire Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Like Taishi Ci, Zhu Rong is completely different with a lighter weapon, and
the Dragon Arms. The light weight attacking speed is essential for safe
charge attack execution, especially because she has short reach. This is why
the Dragon Arms isn't suggested if she has her 4th weapon equipped. The
Ginseng is more useful for filling her musou with her C3, or her normal
attacks. But now, her C4, and C6, can be made useful: This light weapon
will allow for much safer execution, and the Dragon Arms will allow for
much safer recovery. Like Taishi Ci, she goes one weight lighter, but gains
an extra attack 20. This makes her attack slightly stronger than with her
4th weapon, which means, she is now faster and stronger.
For characters who don't escaping jump charges,
the nature of charge attacks means a lot for Dragon Arms compatibility.
There's a reason why Sun Jian is very compatible with the Dragon Arms with his
C5. This is because his C5 is 360 degrees, and is planted. Similarly,
Zhu Rong's C4 can be very safe, because of the same sort of charge properties
for Dragon Arms compatibility. If you make sure that there are no threats
behind her, then the same strategy with Sun Jian's C5 applies for Zhu Rong's
C4, with holding L1 and jumping backwards.
Zhu Rong is more versatile that Sun Jian though because her C6 is another
good choice. Although this versatility means only another possibility.
For most situations, her C6 is the most useful. It's execution is still
a bit slow and can get risky in massive crowds, so resort to using her C4
instead. The way her C6 works, makes her even more compatible with the Dragon
Arms, likely the most compatible character when compared to all others
who DON'T have an escaping jump charge. With Sun Jian's C5, and Zhu Rong's
C4, her option is only to jump backwards, and she needs to have no threats
behind her. This is more of a limitation for Zhu Rong than it is for Sun
Jian, because of her short reach, and bad attack range in her third normal
attack. But with her C6, she has two choices, jumping forward or backward.
Because she discharges backwards by default, this makes it only easier for
her to jump backwards. And because her 360 degrees C6 isn't centered on her,
but shifted a bit in front of her, it leaves an area that safe for her to jump
to.
Since her attack strength is slightly stronger than with her 4th weapon
equipped, it takes only one full regular musou to defeat regular generic
officers. Against playable officers, she has a small chance in defeating
them quickly in one musou. This is the reason to give her the Fire Orb.
Try to set Fire with her C3.
Zhu Rong is now one of the better characters in the game, with very safe and
fast musou filling strategies, and a very deadly musou.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
10.29 - Guan Yu [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 38
Light Weight Light Weight
Attack 20 Charge 16
Charge 20 Horse 16
Fill 20 Defense 17
Speed 20 Attack 18
Life/Defense 20 Life 18
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 16:07:17
Evolution NO
Musou 16
Attack 13
Charge 13
Fill 17
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Guan Yu has no problems with musou filling with his 4th weapon, even though
his 4th weapon has no fill bonus on it. As you may have noticed, or have
read before, on Cao Cao and Cao Pi comparison, that gaining an extra
musou 20, but also an extra fill 20, means roughly the same musou filling
potential. Thus, like Yue Ying, Guan Yu benefits with greatly with this
recommended weapon. And because of his true musou ending, his offense is
very fast. He is now very capable of defeating regular officers from
full health, with the help of ice. This means a lot with Guan Yu's versatility
in freezing, with his C3, C5, and C6. Even if ice isn't successful, Guan Yu's
offense is still greatly upgraded because it'll only take him one short musou
(only tapping the circle button), and one long musou, to defeat regular
officers. This is a very important observation, because of Guan Yu's true
musou ending. His higher fill of 20, means a lot for this incredible offense
too. Normally, against officers in massive crowds with his 4th weapon, it's
best to use a shortest musou possible to allow him to fill his musou
directly after his true musou ending. Having this extra fill 20 means that he
is more capable of quickly refilling his musou after his true musou ending.
Now imagine what he can do with fill 40. Because his first two normal attacks
are so safe, his extra speed 20 which gives him a much safer walking speed,
and the ability to hit blocking officers with his true musou, it is best to
fight in red health, with Guan Yu. With a fill 40 configuration, he is
untouchable, and has a very fast offense.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
__________________
10.30 - Xiahou Dun [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended Recommended (alt) 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 40 Power 36
Medium Weight Medium Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Attack 20 Horse 16
Charge 20 Musou 20 Defense 17
Fill 20 Charge 20 Attack 17
Speed 20 Fill 20 Musou 16
Life/Defense 20 Speed 20 Charge 17
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 05:29:22 Time 20:03:07
Evolution YES Evolution NO
Attack 19 Musou 15
Charge 18 Attack 13
Fill 20 Fill 13
Speed 19 Speed 14
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll Green Scroll
Wind Scroll Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou True Way of Musou
Ginseng Ginseng
Ice Orb Fire Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
I have probably mentioned before, that Xiahou Dun is an inferior version of
Wei Yan. Xiahou Dun has a very abusable C3 for musou filling, and a juggling
musou. The difference is, Xiahou Dun needs a much large crowd than
Wei Yan does to fill his musou with a full C3. And unlike Wei Yan, Xiahou Dun's
regular musou isn't quite enough to kill regular officers with fire.
He is inferior to Wei Yan in almost every way. Being unable to fill his musou
against officers in smaller crowd sizes, forces him to use other methods
such as normal attacks or his C6. Because Xiahou Dun will almost always need
two musous to defeat regular officers, he should be best with a short musou
and high fill configuration. His first two normal attacks, plus a full C3,
plus a full long musou, may be just enough to defeat regular officers from
full health, but it is not recommended because he will need somewhat larger
crowd sizes for his C3 to fill a long musou, and in large crowd sizes, it's
too easy to miss with his musou sometimes because of unwanted displacement
caused by dense crowds. If Xiahou Dun misses even one strike, his offense
changes to a two-musou-per officer offense. Giving him a short musou will
allow him to have a faster offense in massive crowds, and this is because he
has an officer oriented musou. After one musou in a massive crowd, he will
be able to refill his musou right after executing the first one. This is
still a very fast offense, and as mentioned before, other characters like
Meng Huo aren't capable of this with a short musou bar, because their
musous are too good at crowd clearing.
Anyway, I've gone into too much detail. Both of these configurations are good
for Xiahou Dun, but I favor the first recommendation, because of a faster
offense overall. Defense is actually better too.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_________________
10.31 - Zhang Fei [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 39
Light Weight Light Weight
Attack 20 Fill 16
Musou 20 Horse 16
Charge 20 Defense 15
Fill 20 Attack 19
Speed 20 Musou 17
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 13:27:25
Evolution NO
Musou 17
Attack 16
Charge 13
Speed 13
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Speed Scroll/Way of Musou
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
The differences between the recommended ideal weapon and his 4th weapon are
extra charge and speed bonuses. The speed bonus on his weapon will surely
prove useful. And like Ling Tong, since Zhang Fei has such an abusable C3,
that is easy to execute, and unblockable, the charge bonus is quite useful
for both the extra damage and extra musou filling.
He doesn't really need a speed 40 configuration, but it is not any more useful
than the Way of Musou. With or without the Way of Musou, Zhang Fei will still
need two musous to kill regular officers. However, it will help against
playable officers of course. The second reason is that since his C3 is
unblockable and can be used quite frequently, Zhang Fei has a relatively good
freezing ability, although it is inferior to Ling Tong's. Another advantage
that the Way of Musou would give is better defense against multiple officers,
because of a useful true musou ending.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_________________
10.32 - Jiang Wei [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 36
Medium Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Luck 15
Charge 20 Speed 15
Fill 20 Attack 16
Speed 20 Musou 18
Life/Defense 20 Life 17
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 05:29:22
Evolution YES
Attack 19
Charge 18
Fill 20
Speed 19
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Like most of the other characters in this tier, Jiang Wei's offense is often
a two-musou per officer one. Jiang Wei can also defeat officers in one musou
with ice, but he is a bit more versatile with killing officers in one musou.
Xiahou Dun and Zhang Fei both have a very effective C3. Jiang Wei's C3 is only
slightly inferior in terms of freezing ability, but he also has C5, and C6
that can do the job. Something to complain about though is that Jiang Wei
doesn't have an unblockable charge attack, although his C3 and C5 can sometimes
be controlled in a way to hit blocking officers. But Jiang Wei's C1 should
serve to even out the offensive competition between these two-musou per
officer characters, like Xiahou Dun and Zhang Fei. With the assistance of fire
and the maximum number of normal attacks, a short true musou is all Jiang Wei
needs to defeat regular officers very quickly.
I should comment that Jiang Wei isn't too bad with a musou bonus on his weapon.
He'll have an offense that is slightly more effective against playable officers,
but less effective against regular ones. Jiang Wei's musou filling ability
is a bit better with fill on his weapon, but he will still have much more
difficulties than Xiahou Dun and Zhang Fei. Jiang Wei's best method of
musou filling safely without wasting a musou is with his C3. But Zhang Fei's
C3 and Xiahou Dun's C3 and C6 are much better and faster musou filling
charge attacks.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_________________
10.33 - Guan Ping [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 36
Medium Weight Light Weight
Attack 20 Charge 16
Charge 20 Luck 15
Fill 20 Bow 15
Speed 20 Attack 17
Life/Defense 20 Life 15
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 05:29:22
Evolution YES
Attack 19
Charge 18
Fill 20
Speed 19
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
There is no reason why Guan Ping shouldn't be compatible with a medium weapon.
Enter all crowds with his C3 is possible. It shouldn't be hard to enter most
crowds with officers with his C3 in most stages. This means a guaranteed 60%
chance in freezing the officer, which is a 60% chance in defeating them in
one musou only. But it's only effective when Guan Ping has the safety distance
to waste his C3 strikes and enter only with his C3 ending.
He is a lot stronger and better now, with a heavier weapon and higher fill.
His musou will fill in many crowd sizes when executing his C6, and this
guarantees a succesful musou regardless of officers blocking. Two of these then,
will easily get the job done. His C4 is always a useful secondary charge
attack to rely on. Basically, he's a lot faster on offense now.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
10.34 - Yue Ying [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 36
Medium Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Charge 15
Musou 20 Horse 15
Speed 20 Bow 16
Fill 20 Defense 17
Charge/Life/Defense 20 Life 16
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 20:03:07
Evolution NO
Musou 15
Attack 13
Fill 13
Speed 14
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Because Yue Ying is so similar to Guan Yu, her recommendations are also very
similar. It shouldn't be hard to agree that even without attack and fill on her
4th weapon, she doesn't have much of a hard time filling her musou.
Like with Guan Yu, adding an extra musou bonus, and fill bonus, will allow
her to have a longer musou for a much better offense, with roughly the
same musou filling potential. Thus, Yue Ying's offense with this
maximized weapon, is quite a bit faster.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
10.35 - Cao Cao [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 34
Medium Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Charge 17
Charge 20 Bow 15
Fill 20 Life 17
Speed 20 Horse 17
Life/Defense 20 Attack 17
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 05:29:22
Evolution YES
Attack 19
Charge 18
Fill 20
Speed 19
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Ginseng
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
It quite amusing how simply an extra fill increase of 20 can upgrade Cao Cao's
offense so much. With a fill 40 configuration, Cao Cao's C3 can be abused
if crowd sizes are large enough. And like Liu Bei's C3, the limiting size
is actually quite small. Before this fill 40 configuration, Cao Cao had
a problem with wasted musous in massive crowds, because of absense of a useful
charge attack.
Now that Cao Cao's C3 fills his musou easily, he has a much better offense
in massive crowds. He would resort to his C5 when fighting in smaller
crowd sizes. This simple increase of fill 20, has made Cao Cao by far more
versatile. Master his C3 to hit blocking officers. Like Xing Cai's C3, it's
not easy to ensure a successful hit, so the best you can do is to maximize it.
Keep in mind that we are discussing a short C3. Because his C3 sequence
is composed of two horizontal slashes, where he moves a lot, it is best to
have officers positioned slightly to his left side. This is important because
if his first C3 slash is blocked, he can use the second one for an attempt
to move closer. The fact that the final slash is a slash from right to left,
is another reason to have officers positioned slightly to his left, and
as close to him as possible.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_________________
10.36 - Taishi Ci [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 38
Light Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Charge 15
Charge 20 Horse 15
Fill 20 Bow 15
Speed 20 Defense 18
Life/Defense 20 Life 18
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 00:46:54
Evolution NO
Attack 16
Fill 17
Speed 19
Luck 18
Time 09:22:13
Evolution NO
Attack 18
Charge 16
Speed 20
Luck 18
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Dragon Arms
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Here is when Taishi Ci can be seen to full potential. First of all, comparing
the recommended weapon with his 4th weapon, he has slightly stronger
attack strength despite the light weight, much higher musou filling potential,
faster speed which is crucial for Taishi Ci, and faster attacking speed.
There are two weapons that are useful from the Internal Time Trick Guide.
Both are equally good.
The same offensive strategies still apply. Now that he has higher fill, his
C2 + jump charge combo will fill his musou much easier, and now that he
attacks faster, his C5 + jump charge combo is easier and safer to execute
which means that it is less limited to being only a distanced attacking
method.
Many would wonder then, or reason that Taishi Ci would be better with a medium
weight weapon, with these same stats. This does very little to make his
offense faster, because of higher attack. His offense is still the same
against regular officers, and playable officers, as the mere 1.25 times
stronger attack isn't enough. His C2 executes a lot slower, which can cause
problems in massive and dense crowds. His C1 execute a lot slower, which
is a major setback when escaping, and just for general flexibility.
Finally, his C5 is much harder to execute, and is often not a safe option
even in small crowds.
Master aiming his jump charge to purposely miss or allow officers to block it,
and you've mastered Taishi Ci. This is how to minimize the number of wasted
musous.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_________________
10.37 - Dong Zhuo [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 36
Medium Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Luck 17
Charge 20 Horse 17
Fill 20 Defense 15
Speed 40 Attack 18
Life/Defense 20 Life 15
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 05:29:22
Evolution YES
Attack 19
Charge 18
Fill 20
Speed 19
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Ginseng
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Not too big of a change for Dong Zhuo. Having both fill and charge now on
his weapon means a much higher fill with his jump charge. Now, his normal
attacks plus jump charge techniques are basically an extreme defense, but
he still suffers from wasted musous. Because of a fill 40 configuration
now, his first three normal attacks will fill his musou bar completely
in massive crowds.
I have tested Dong Zhuo with a heavy weapon, because of his 360 degree
jump charge. But, even with the highest attack, the heaviest weight, and
highest fill, Dong Zhuo's jump charge isn't consistent enough for a
good defense. Also, his strategy with three normal attacks + jump charge
doesn't work very well at all anymore.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_________________
10.38 - Xiao Qiao [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 32
Heavy Weight Heavy Weight
Attack 20 Charge 17
Charge 20 Fill 15
Fill 20 Speed 19
Musou 20 Defense 15
Speed/Defense/Life 20 Musou 15
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 16:34:57 Time 22:26:35
Evolution YES Evolution NO
Life __ Musou __
Musou __ Attack __
Attack __ Speed __
Fill __ Horse __
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Light Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Ok, well there are two recommended Internal Time Trick weapons for Xiao Qiao.
And like all of the other recommended heavy weapons, these ones don't have
the numerical stats on the Internal Time Trick guide, but it doesn't really
matter anyway. The main things needed are Attack and Musou. Fill is a
more of secondary one, and so is Speed, so take your pick. Both life and
horse are wasted stats, so these two weapons are roughly the same. You might
want to make a character through Destiny Mode if you really like Xiao Qiao,
because both of these two weapons have only three useful stats. The extra
speed on the second recommended weapon is nice to have, but no essential,
for easier close combat, because of her scattering C4. I would probably go
for the first one, for faster fill, and well I suppose life isn't really
as wasted stat. If she had life and defense on her weapon, she can take some
hits on purpose if you wanted, since she has a heavy weapon.
This makes Xiao Qiao slightly better, since now she has attack on her weapon.
Her maximized methods still remain the same. However, if you get a weapon with
Attack and no musou on it, her short musou is just enough to kill regular
officers, which is quite nice. This is of course with the preceding C3, and
perhaps C4. The extra musou bonus is just to allow her to defeat playable
officers in one musou.
She still has a very defensive method of musou filling with her jump charge.
Fill her musou partially, then scatter the crowds and the targeted officer
with her C4 if crowds are either dense or massive, then get a few hits on
the officer or use her C3 to set up for her musou. Remember that her C4 is
useful to make it much easier to juggle properly with her musou, because of
the unwanted displacement theory. Trying to juggle one officer in the middle
of a vast and dense crowd is extremely difficult.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
10.39 - Zhou Yu [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 34
Heavy Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Charge 17
Musou 20 Defense 15
Charge 20 Musou 18
Fill 20 Bow 16
Speed 20 Attack 16
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 16:34:57
Evolution YES
Life __
Musou __
Attack __
Fill __
same recommended weapon as Zhuge Liang's. The Internal Time Trick Guide doesn't
have the numerical stats. No big deal anyway, since you're probably going to
max them all out.
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
This indeed a huge upgrade believe it or not. His defense is just slightly
decreased, with the exact same offensive methods. Use his jump charge for
partial musou filling. His first three normal attacks still work quite well,
in even large crowds with his heavy attacking speed. He is still quite
capable of freezing officers with his C4. What Zhou Yu basically gains, is
a more powerful musou, and a more powerful running attack, at the expense
of slower attacking speed, which isn't enough to really hurt him, defensively.
He now has the same time of offense as characters like Sima Yi, who have a
relatively slow method of musou filling, but an offense that is capable of
killing officers in one musou. He does however, need ice to defeat playable
officers from full health in one musou.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________
10.40 - Cao Pi [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 34
Medium Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Fill 15
Musou 20 Defense 15
Charge 20 Musou 19
Fill 20 Speed 19
Speed 20 Attack 15
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 20:03:07
Evolution NO
Musou 15
Attack 13
Fill 13
Speed 14
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Ginseng
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Well, as you can see, Cao Pi's 4th weapon should be pretty close to ideal.
There's really nothing I can think of to maximize Cao Pi anymore. Unlike
Cao Cao, giving him a short musou and high fill doesn't really benefit much.
There may be a good possibility with a light weapon, with short musou and
high fill. This will give him a much better chance of walking up to
officers in massive crowds and just start attacking while surrounded. However,
this offense quite a slow one. Although it is probably faster than
with his 4th weapon because he's practically forced to do only his
normal attacks in massive crowds, his offense with this light weapon
configuration is considerably slower against officers in smaller crowd sizes.
Furthermore, because of the extended flinching time, his C1 ice orb can be
abused, to help him, at least for a while against massive crowds.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________________
10.41 - Sun Shang Xiang [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended Recommended (alt) 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 40 Power 32
Heavy Weight Heavy Weight Heavy Weight
Attack 20 Attack 20 Luck 19
Musou 20 Life 20 Bow 15
Fill 20 Defense 20 Speed 19
Life 20 Speed 20 Defense 17
Defense 20 Fill 20 Life 15
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 16:34:57 Time 09:24:47
Evolution YES Evolution YES
Life __ Charge 16
Musou __ Fill 15
Attack __ Defense 20
Fill __ Attack 20
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll Green Scroll
Wind Scroll Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou True Way of Musou
Way of Musou Way of Musou
Ice Orb Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Because it's very hard to juggle properly with Sun Shang Xiang's musou,
I have two recommended configurations for her. The first is for those who have
understood my explanation on how to juggle consistently with her musou.
and the second is for those who don't even wanna bother. Well these two
configurations differ only in musou length anyway, so they aren't very
different at all. The point is, if you aren't going to bother with learning
how to juggle with her musou, the extra musou bar length is useless. And well,
of course what's disappointing is that, even if you do find a way to juggle
properly with her musou, it's inconsistent in massive crowds anyway because of
unwanted displacement.
Anyway, Sun Shang Xiang is slightly better now, with higher attack, and faster
fill.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________
10.42 - Zhen Ji [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 32
Medium Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Fill 20
Charge 20 Horse 17
Fill 20 Bow 18
Speed 20 Defense 18
Musou/Life/Defense 20 Life 17
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 05:29:22
Evolution YES
Attack 19
Charge 18
Fill 20
Speed 19
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Dragon Arms
True Way of Musou
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Attack and speed are the two important upgrades for Zhen Ji's big improvement.
The attack means a lot more than just a stronger musou and higher fill.
Her jump charge and C1 are now strong enough to kill privates, the lowest
ranking peon, in just one hit. This means a lot for her offensive speed,
as her goal is often a crowd clearing effort now, before she can duel
officers, by slapping the heck out of them with her C3. Being able to kill
most peons in one C1 or jump charge almost means that her C1 + jump charge
combo can be abused more easily.
The extra speed bonus also helps a lot, to allow her to abuse her C1 and
jump charge more easily and frequently.
The slightly higher fill with the stronger attack, by 20, is another
advantage.
Zhen Ji is a lot better overall with this weapon. She can take on officers
in any crowd size. Her C1 + jump charge combo with the Dragon Arms will
work against all crowd sizes, and with a short musou, her normal attacks
will often be enough to fill her musou in massive crowds.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
___________________
10.43 - Huang Zhong [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended Recommended (alt) 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 40 Power 36
Light Weight Medium Weight Light Weight
Attack 20 Attack 20 Fill 18
Musou 20 Musou 20 Horse 15
Bow 20 Bow 20 Bow 20
Fill 20 Fill 20 Defense 15
Charge/Speed 20 Charge/Speed 20 Musou 15
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 12:19:44 Time 07:28:59
Evolution YES Evolution NO
Musou 15 Musou 16
Attack 16 Attack 19
Horse 19 Fill 19
Bow 20 Bow 18
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
True Way of Musou
Fire Arrows
Way of Musou
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
It's true the a bow 20 increase isn't that much. Another light weapon
alternative would be one with Attack, Musou, and Fill. Fill is quite important
for Huang Zhong if he is to have a long musou and a light weapon.
However, bow should probably be the better choice. This weapon upgrades his
offense quite a bit, because of a higher attack. And the difference is
huge if you compare it with his 4th weapon in Dynasty Warriors 5 without
the True Way of Musou equipped. Please have a look at my "Huang Zhong
Jia Meng Gate" video to see his full potential with a light weapon.
This is definitely the best configuration, because it is the most consistent.
Here's a comparison of the two: with this light weapon, his offense as seen
in the video is roughly two C1's, one C3, and a full true musou. I'm listing
it in this strict order of two C1's and then one C3, because this is all that
is needed, and he doesn't need to jump charge away. This obviously works
only against officers in small crowds, and only regular officers.
Playable officers would require a bit more work, typically with more C3's
if you don't want to waste time with his jump charge. His medium weight weapon
alternative then, would be two C1's, and then a true musou. This is indeed
faster, but only about C1 or C3 faster. The point is, with a medium weapon
his C1 is much harder to use, and by far less consistent. This means that he'll
have to jump charge a lot more. Then, in massive crowds, there's just no
comparison. He has to jump charge a lot more to find openings to execute his
C1. His C1 recovery is a bit longer which means more forced musous. He's
sacrificing a lot of flexibility for just an extra 1.25 increase of damage.
And unlike Zhuge Liang, the damage comparison with Huang Zhong is from
light to medium, and the ratio is only 1.25. He really isn't gaining much.
Something that is also a possibility: If you give him the Wind Scroll, he will
be a bit more capable in close combat, and with his C5, and C6, he can freeze
officers for a very fast offense. This setup should give him an offense that
is similar to Cao Cao's or Cao Pi's, because of very similar offensive style.
But what would he take out? Fire Arrows? Way of Musou? This makes him even
worse in massive crowd situations. Huang Zhong should be best with a maxed
out light weapon.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_________________
10.44 - Diao Chan [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 32
Heavy Weight Heavy Weight
Attack 20 Fill 18
Fill 20 Luck 18
Speed 20 Speed 19
Defense 20 Defense 16
Life/Charge 20 Musou 18
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 09:24:47
Evolution YES
Charge 16
Fill 15
Defense 20
Attack 20
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Dragon Arms
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Diao Chan's my new favorite character.
I always hate weapons without attack on it. Diao Chan should remain the
most compatible with a heavy weapon, because whatever weapon weight you give
her, getting hit is unavoidable. We might as well give her a heavy weapon
for a non-flinching property. This will maximize her offense, and defense.
With higher attack and a shorter musou, her defense is a lot better than with
her 4th weapon equipped. The Ginseng will allow her short C3 fill her musou
completely in a large range of crowd sizes. But like Taishi Ci, it is best
for her to equip the Dragon Arms for overall a better filling ability, by
clumping together her jump charge, with her charge attacks. She gains
more flexibility this way too, by being able to time her C6 more freely.
With her jump charge, she is able to quickly get close to an officer after
freezing the officer with her C6. Her C1 with the Dragon Arms also gives her
more flexibility, for escaping purposes in some situations.
Stick with her C3 in crowds. It is so easy to hit blocking officers with it.
And even if an attempt to hit a blocking officer with her C3 fails, she is
guaranteed a successful musou because of her useful C3 ending. All that is
needed is careful timing, as officers will always want to attack after blocking
a charge attack. Another alternative is simple to use her jump charge after
her C3 if an officer has blocked her C3 ending. The positioning is perfect.
Charge combinations involving her jump charge will often fill her musou easily,
now that she has the strongest attainable attack in the game, charge 20,
fill 20, and the Dragon Arms.
Here's I think the most defensive way to use her. Lets look at her C3. Well
before that, you must know that her second normal attack covers only her right
side. Attacking while facing straight ahead, with this attack and using her
C3, is pretty risky, because she's not hitting enemies to her left before
the execution time of her C3. The range of this attack is roughly 180 degrees,
so turn to the left a bit when executing it to maximize the range. Ok, her C3:
If we do a short C3, she has only one vertical attack in the whole string of
six strikes, and about two spots where she lags a bit. It is the fourth strike
that is vertical. Although it's vertical, it does cover front and back, but
still the point is, this strike is risky. So I think the best way to maximize
her defense, is use her C3, while positioning her second normal attack
properly, but jump out of her C3 after the third strike, or in other words,
her first C3 strike. This gives her three horizontal strikes in a row, with a
slight lag before the third one. This should fill a good chunk of her musou
bar. After that, her jump charge should fill the rest easily, and this method
should work in a large range of crowd sizes. Thus, her musou filling method is
very similar to Taishi Ci's, just that it's less defensive.
If you use only her normal attacks, it would seem that it's better because all
of her normal attacks have very protective range, especially the last two, but
using her C3 is better, because she can guarantee a successful musou on
officers, regardless of blocking, while with her normal attacks, she doesn't
have a lot of choices if an officer is blocking.
A side note: Diao Chan should theoretically be the best with a weapon
without evolution bonus. This is because her sixth normal attack has 360
degrees of range, and have very fast recovery time. Even if she uses it in
massive crowds, it's very easy to anticipate a counterattack after it.
With evolution attacks, there are a lot of risks because of an execution time
before her first evolution attack. With a weapon like this then, she pretty
much has two pretty safe methods of attacking.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________
10.45 - Xu Zhu [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 38
Medium Weight Light Weight
Attack 20 Fill 17
Musou 20 Bow 19
Charge 20 Life 20
Fill 20 Luck 15
Speed 20 Defense 19
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 20:03:07
Evolution NO
Musou 15
Attack 13
Fill 13
Speed 14
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Way of Musou
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
As I've complained throughout the guide about Xu Zhu's terrible 4th weapon,
with a medium weapon, is when Xu Zhu's moveset can be maximized. Even
with only a fill increase of 20, his musou filling ability is awesome with his
normal attacks, and stronger attack strength. Try to get around not having
fill 40 with Xu Zhu, and train yourself to be able to do a visual calculation
of crowd sizes at a glance, once you've mastered his musou filling capabilities
with his C4, and normal attacks. It shouldn't be hard to realize that Xu Zhu
works well with a long musou bar.
Xu Zhu's offense is greatly enhanced with this more ideal weapon.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_____________
10.46 - Fu Xi [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 38
Medium Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Charge 16
Musou 20 Fill 16
Charge 20 Defense 16
Fill 20 Attack 16
Speed 20 Life 17
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 20:03:07
Evolution NO
Musou 15
Attack 13
Fill 13
Speed 14
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Dragon Arms
True Way of Musou
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
The difference in his recommended weapon is an extra musou bonus and speed
bonus. Both are minor benefits. It's easy to see that Fu Xi's musou filling
ability is very good. Having a long musou is useful for a slightly faster
offense for those of you who have mastered juggling with his musou. It's
not nearly as hard as Sun Shang Xiang's. The speed bonus is very useful
for a much easier time against officers, especially after scattering them.
Fu Xi sure is versatile with getting officers on the ground, but his
main problem is that he can't catch up to them.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
___________________
10.47 - Xiahou Yuan [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended Recommended (alt) Recommended (alt)
Power 40 Power 40 Power 40
Medium Weight Light Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Attack 20 Attack 20
Musou 20 Musou 20 Charge 20
Bow 20 Bow 20 Fill 20
Speed 20 Speed 20 Speed 20
Fill 20 Fill 20 Life/Defense 20
4th Weapon
Power 36
Medium Weight
Charge 16
Attack 16
Life 17
Bow 19
Musou 17
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 20:03:07 Time 20:03:07 Time 05:29:22
Evolution NO etc... Evolution YES
Musou 15 Attack 19
Attack 13 Charge 18
Fill 13 Fill 20
Speed 14 Speed 19
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet Tiger Amulet Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll Green Scroll Green Scroll
Ice Arrows Fire Arrows Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou True Way of Musou True Way of Musou
Speed Scroll Speed Scroll Ginseng
Fire Orb Fire Orb/Ice Orb Light Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
It seems that the more ideal weapon at 18:13:56 with ATK, MUSOU, SPD, BOW
is an error in the Internal Time Trick Guide.
Alright, here's where we get to have some real fun with Xiahou Yuan.
First of all, speed is manditory on his ideal weapon, because it allows him
to outrun pursuing crowds. Although speed 20 is pretty much the minimum,
speed 40 makes things much better. If he's ever surrounded by massive crowds,
getting out safely with only speed 20, isn't too possible. This is why the
third recommended setup is the least recommended. However, you can switch
the True Way of Musou for the Way of Musou for a very safe true musou ending,
but then that would make his offense a lot slower than the first two
recommended setups, and thus shouldn't even be included. Well, i'll keep the
third one up for now, because it's a very interesting close combat
configuration.
For the three customizations, the weapon, the Internal Time Trick
recommendation, and the recommended items are all in their own columns.
Lets discuss the first two. The first two are quite strictly distanced combat
setups. The first has Ice Arrows, and the second has Fire Arrows.
I used the Ice Arrows setup in my Xiahou Yuan Mt Ding Jun video. Both of these
setups are quite close, but I'm leaning towards the Fire Arrows setup for
two reasons. It is more effective in massive crowd situations. Because, for
the Ice Arrows to be effective (recall that Xiahou Yuan's C1 ending has very
high freezing probability) officers need to in the front lines of an enemy
crowd, Xiahou Yuan has to be close to that officer, and he needs to have a
filled musou. The last two conditions can be satisfied easily, but the first,
having the officer at the lead of a crowd is often not that case, especially
in massive crowds. This just means that in massive crowds, he will need to
thin out the crowds a bit with his C1, without using the ending because it
isn't piercing. If crowds are really massive, then he'll have to do a system
of musou filling with C1, and then using his musou. It should take around
two times, to defeat a regular officer. The second reason why the Fire
Arrows is better, is because the fire damage contributes to musou filling.
Musou filling with the Fire Arrows, is faster than with the Ice Arrows. With
the fill 20 on his weapon, his C1 fills his musou very quickly. With the
Fire Arrows setup, he's slightly better in massive crowd situations because
of fire depletion. If he is in the center the Shi Ting, where crowds are
continuous and massive, the Ice Arrows is going to a completely wasted item.
However, in more average stages, with more average crowd sizes, having a very
high freezing chance means a very high chance to kill officers in quick
musou. The recommendation of the Fire Orb, is because of his long musou bar.
It may be better in some situations to just use his C3 to set fire, and
then execute a full musou. This deals a lot of damage, and needs only a
several C1 volleys to deal the sufficient initial damage. And of course,
his C1 can still serve as damage after his fire musou. It quite a nice
setup, with ice and fire, with ice having roughly 80% chance of freezing,
and fire at 100%.
The third configuration is most devoted to close combat. The keys to this
are high attack, high fill, and short musou. He is now capable of Liu Bei's
high fill strategy where one short C3 is enough to fill his musou completely
if crowd sizes are right, and it doesn't take a large crowd at all for this
setup to work. Xiahou Yuan, with this configuration is a weak version of
Liu Bei. The Light Orb is highly recommended, because this C3 strategy
is only safe when there are no enemies behind Xiahou Yuan. His C3 is slower
than Liu Bei's, so you really need to make sure no threats are behind him.
Because of this, officers are often blocking. And because the ending of Xiahou
Yuan's C3 has attack range that is no where close to Liu Bei's, it's very
hard to purposely hit the blocking officer with the ending, and then
purposely waiting for a very brief moment to catch the officer off guard,
because you know the officer will attack after blocking his C3. This is
practically impossible to do with Xiahou Yuan's C3 in massive crowds.
This is why the Light Orb is needed for this configuration to work.
Musou filling is very fast, but his offense is a bit slow because of a juggling
short musou. It'll take three of these C3 + musou combos to defeat regular
officers. Playable officer then, would take quite some time. Then, when
it time to fight the enemy commander, he has no fire to really make things
fast. This is why the first two configurations are superior. The only
thing that this setup is better against is archers groups. Otherwise,
it is inferior in every way.
Like Huang Zhong, Xiahou Yuan is also quite compatible with a light weapon.
His C1 execution time is a lot faster, so a speed 40 setup if much less of a
need. His C1 volley are of course a lot faster too. The Ice Arrows setup
is a lot less effective with a light weapon, because what that setup
take advantage of is double musou damage. But with the Fire Arrows, Xiahou
Yuan with the Fire Arrows setup should be quite close in offensive speed.
He will need roughly twice as many C1 volleys to be able to defeat officers
with that same musou bar length. Twice as many is a lot, so he's slightly
better and faster with a medium weapon. I don't have a video of this
setup, but I do have a video of Xiahou Yuan with a light weapon, but with the
Ice Arrows.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________
10.48 - Dian Wei [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 36
Light Weight Light Weight
Attack 20 Charge 15
Charge 20 Fill 15
Fill 20 Attack 18
Speed 20 Musou 17
Life/Defense 20 Life 17
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 00:46:54
Evolution NO
Attack 16
Fill 17
Speed 19
Luck 18
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Ginseng
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Speed is the main benefit here. He doesn't have to waste a slot for the
Speed Scroll now. Aside from being able to outrun peons now without a Speed
Scroll, his defense is a lot better because of better musou filling with
a shorter musou bar. Dian Wei is capable of taking on practically all
crowd sizes with either his C4, or his C6. Although, his offense is a bit
slower, with a short musou and a light weapon, this configuration is by far
the most defensive setup.
Dian Wei should be best with a light weight weapon. His C6 execution is
quite risky with a medium weapon, and this is a huge limitation, if he has
to rely most often on his C4, a scattering charge attack. His C4 execution
with a medium weight weapon is also risky, in large crowds. Because of the
slow recovery from his C4, with a medium weapon, Dian Wei is often forced to
waste his musou. Thus, he doesn't get much of a chance to make use of his
1.25 stronger musou.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
__________________
10.49 - Zhang Jiao [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 32
Medium Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Charge 16
Charge 20 Fill 9
Fill 20 Luck 15
Speed 20 Attack 15
Musou 20 Musou 17
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 05:29:22
Evolution YES
Attack 19
Charge 18
Fill 20
Speed 19
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Speed Scroll
Wind Scroll
Ginseng/True Way of Musou
Light Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
This is a huge breakthrough for Zhang Jiao, and all that was needed was
a speed 20 bonus on his weapon. With this speed 40 configuration, he can
run fast enough to abuse his C3 with very very little defensive risks.
Keep the Wind Scroll equipped because it affects the horizontal reach of
his C3, when his staff is levitating. I still recommend the Light Orb because
it's still not a good choice to be moving around freely during his C3 in order
to hit blocking officers with the Ice Orb.
Choose between the Ginseng or the True Way of Musou. Zhang Jiao still has
a flaw, if he is unable to fill his musou after his C3.
Zhang Jiao is simply incredible now. Only an increase in speed 20, has now
lifted him from his bottom tier placement.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_________________
10.50 - Huang Gai [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 36
Light Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Charge 15
Charge 20 Luck 16
Fill 20 Defense 17
Speed 20 Attack 17
Life/Defense 20 Life 15
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 00:46:54
Evolution NO
Attack 16
Fill 17
Speed 19
Luck 18
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
Ginseng
True Way of Musou
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
The problem with Huang Gai is the poor attack range in his third and fourth
normal attacks, and no useful or safe charge attacks before it. His most
useful charge attack is his C6, but he needs to proceed through his third
and fourth normal attacks. Thus, the best solution is to give him a light
weapon. Although his first two normal attacks, have horizontal range, not even
a fill 40 configuration will work with Huang Gai, with a medium weapon
equipped. The best solution is to minimize the danger when going through
his third and fourth normal attacks.
Because his third and fourth normal attacks have limited range, always make
sure there are no enemies behind Huang Gai, and aim these two attacks in
different directions. So there should be two possibilities only. After his
second normal attack, direct his third, either slightly to his right or
slightly to his left, and then his fourth normal attack in the opposite
direction/side. The flinching time and his attacking speed should make this
method quite safe. But not even this attack speed is faster enough to save him
in massive crowds, because if crowds are wide enough, wider than the attack
range of his first two normal attacks, then it's very easy for Huang Gai to
get surrounded before he gets to his C6. This is when his C4 proves to be
most useful to scatter the enemy, but it also has some unavoidable flaws.
His main charge attack should still be his C6, and his offense is still quite
fast if officers are frozen.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________
10.51 - Sun Ce [XL]
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
________________________________
Weapon Statistics and Comparison
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Recommended 4th Weapon
Power 40 Power 36
Medium Weight Medium Weight
Attack 20 Charge 15
Charge 20 Attack 18
Fill 20 Life 15
Speed 20 Speed 18
Life/Defense 20 Musou 15
__________________________
Internal Time Trick Weapon
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Time 05:29:22
Evolution YES
Attack 19
Charge 18
Fill 20
Speed 19
_________________
Recommended Items
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Wind Scroll
True Way of Musou
Dragon Arms
Ice Orb
________
Analysis
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
No matter what you do with Sun Ce, and no matter how it seems like his set of
charge attacks have versatility written all over it, there's no way make
Sun Ce's defense a perfect defense.
Keep the Dragon Arms equipped for charge recovery cancellation. A light weapon
isn't recommended because it changes nothing for him. His problem still is
short reach, and his charge attacks have fast execution by default anyway,
so giving a light weapon doesn't help. Although the Dragon Arms is a very
important item for Sun Ce's defense, he as compatible with it as others,
like Zhu Rong, Taishi Ci, or Diao Chan. However, like Diao Chan, with his
fast speed, he jumps relatively higher and farther. None of his charge attacks
guarantees a safe landing; the best you can do is to minimize the danger.
Stick with going in a clockwise direction with his C3, and make use of
distance he covers during his C3 ending to jump away to a safe place.
His C3 is the safest charge attack to use, but has like lowest musou filling
potential. His C4 only requires a safe execution, because of his jabbing
third normal attack. His C5 is even harder to execute because of longer
execution time, and is much more dangerous because he's not planted on the
ground. If he has enough safety distance to use his C5, then abuse it as much
as you can until crowds start to get closer.
Nothing has changed for Sun Ce in terms of survival strategies, or offensive
strategies. This weapon only gives him a much better defense with a short
musou bar, and a fill bonus.
===============================================================================
____________________________________________________________________
11.00 - Musou Rage Token and Meat Bun Locations for All Other Stages
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Since playing Hard mode with the Green Scroll with an already maxed character
is, I would consider, a joke, I have made this section primarily for the
people who want to explore the easier stages in Chaos.
With little practise, defense in hard mode can almost be completely ignored.
Even if you ever get into red health, there is health all over the place
anyway.
Since, Chaos mode is a total different story, knowing the locations of
all four Musou Rages in a stage will greatly enhance your ability to fight
in Chaos mode, and increase the chances of completing a stage in Chaos mode.
4 star difficulty stages, I believe differ a lot from 5 star stages, but
still obviously requires much skill to complete. Also, this section is more
importantly for the other 5 stars levels for certain character musou modes.
I have touched on these stages earlier; the last stage in a character's musou
mode is at 5-star difficulty. There are 13 of these in total, and are unique
for certain characters, for example Zhao Yun's final stage is Yi Ling.
There are a total of four musou rages per level: three of which are
obtained from defeating an elite guard of specific generals, and one found in
a crate. There are however, exceptions such as Guan Yu's Escape, or The Trials
of Sun Ce.
Musou Rages are very useful, especially in the more difficult stages. They
will often allow you to easily kill multiple generals in just one Musou Rage.
The properties of the musou rage is very simple. In a musou rage, both your
attack and defense will be temporarily doubled. A regular musou rage lasts for
15 seconds, and a prolonged one lasts for 30 seconds (when the Demon Band is
equipped). However, a musou rage will not end during a musou; if the 15 seconds
is used up in the middle of a musou, the musou rage will last until your
musou is finished.
Gate refers to those ally/enemy troop gates, where troops are generated or
respawned.
Base refers to any of the three attack/defense/supply bases, unless otherwise
specified.
Note that some generals come as reinforcements, so they will not be present
on the map, at the beginning of the stage.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________________________________
Battle of Xi Liang (Dong Zhuo's Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate at northwest corner of the map
Elite Guard of Zhang Liang
Elite Guard of Zhang Bao
Elite Guard of Zhang Jiao
Meat Bun Locations:
South of the southern-most base
Northwest of Zhang Jiao's main camp
1 supply base *
*There are only 2 meat buns on the field in this stage
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
___________________________________
Battle of Xi Liang (Yellow Turbans)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate at northwest corner of the map
Elite Guard of Dong Ming
Elite Guard of Guo Si
Elite Guard of Hu Zhen
Meat Bun Locations:
South of the southern-most base
Northwest of Zhang Jiao's main camp
1 supply base *
*There are only 2 meat buns on the field in this stage
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
__________________________________________
Battle of Ji Province (Yuan Shao's Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate slightly north of Bo Zhang, near the center of the map
Elite Guard of Bo Zhang
Elite Guard of Pei Yuan Shao
Elite Guard of Zhang Bao
Meat Bun Locations:
East of the supply base
Near the central gate at the west side of the map
In the Altar
1 supply base
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________________________________
Battle of Ji Province (Yellow Turbans)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate near the center of the map
Elite Guard of Yuan Xi
Elite Guard of Yuan Shang
Elite Guard of Wen Chou
Meat Bun Locations:
East of the supply base
Near the central gate at the west side of the map
In the Altar
1 supply base
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_____________________________________________
Battle of Liang Province (Dong Zhuo's Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate south of the center-most base
Elite Guard of Pang De
Elite Guard of Liang Xing
Elite Guard of Han Sui
Meat Bun Locations:
Northeast gate in Dong Zhuo's main camp
In the northern area of the map, east of a base, beside the musou wine
Southwest gate in Ma Teng's main camp
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________________________________
Battle of Liang Province (Allied Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate south of the center-most base
Elite Guard of Guo Si
Elite Guard of Zhao Cen
Elite Guard of Niu Fu
Meat Bun Locations:
Northeast gate in Dong Zhuo's main camp
In the northern area of the map, east of a base, beside the musou wine
Southwest gate in Ma Teng's main camp
1 supply base
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________________
Struggle for Nan Zhong
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
South of the only base on the map
Elite Guard of Dong Tu Na
Elite Guard of King Duosi
Elite Guard of Gao Ding
Meat Bun Locations:
Gate at the southeast corner of the map
On the trail between the enemy generals Wu Tugu, and King Mulu *
1 supply base
*There are only 2 meat buns on the field in this stage
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
____________________________________
Battle of Nan Zhong (Yellow Turbans)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate near the gate in the poison marsh
Elite Guard of Dailai Dongzhu
Elite Guard of Dong Tu Na
Elite Guard of Jinhuan Sanjie
Meat Bun Locations:
Near a gate at the southeast corner of the map
East of the southern-most base
East of the base that is closest to Meng Huo's main camp, beside the
musou wine
South of the northern-most base *
1 supply base
*This stage has 4 meat buns on the field
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
___________________________________
Battle of Nan Zhong (Nanman Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate near the gate in the poison marsh
Elite Guard of Pei Yuan Shao
Elite Guard of Cheng Yuanzhi
Elite Guard of He Yi
Meat Bun Locations:
Near a gate at the southeast corner of the map
East of the southern-most base
West of the southern-most base, beside the musou wine
South of the northern-most base *
1 supply base
*This stage has 4 meat buns on the field
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________________________________
The Yellow Turban Rebellion (Han Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate near the center-most gate
Elite Guard of Gao Sheng
Elite Guard of Deng Mao
Elite Guard of Guan Hai
Meat Bun Locations:
Northeast of He Jin's main camp
Northwest corner of Zhang Jiao's main camp; outside
South of the western-most base
1 supply base
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________________________________
Battle of Si Shui Gate (Allied Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate near the gate north of center-most base
Elite Guard of Guo Si
Elite Guard of Li Ru
Elite Guard of Niu Fu
Meat Bun Locations:
South of the eastern-most base
North of the southern-most base
Near Si Shui Gate
1 supply base
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
___________________________________________
Battle of Si Shui Gate (Dong Zhuo's Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate near the gate north of center-most base
Elite Guard of Han Dang
Elite Guard of Guan Yu
Elite Guard of Cao Cao
Meat Bun Locations:
South of the eastern-most base
North of the southern-most base
Near Si Shui Gate
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_____________________________________
Battle of Hu Lao Gate (Allied Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate near the gate slightly southeast of Li Ru's starting position.
also is the southern-most gate.
Elite Guard of Xu Rong
Elite Guard of Li Meng
Elite Guard of Zhang Liao
Meat Bun Locations:
Gate just outside of Dong Zhuo's main camp, west side of the map
Gate southwest of Yuan Shao's main camp
Gate in the northeast corner of the map
1 supply bases
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
__________________________________________
Battle of Hu Lao Gate (Dong Zhuo's Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate near the gate slightly southeast of Yue Jin's starting position.
also is the southern-most gate.
Elite Guard of Cao Hong
Elite Guard of Li Dian
Elite Guard of Liu Bei
Meat Bun Locations:
Gate just outside of Dong Zhuo's main camp, west side of the map
Gate southwest of Yuan Shao's main camp
Gate in the northeast corner of the map
2 supply bases
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
____________________
Battle of Chang Shan
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate in Gongsun Zan's main camp
Elite Guard of Zuozi Zhangba
Elite Guard of Zhao Yun
Elite Guard of Yan Gang
Meat Bun Locations
Near the western-most gate
Near the east gate inside Gongsun Zan's fortress
2 supply bases *
* There are only 2 meat buns on the field in this map
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________________
Battle of Jing Province
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate in Liu Biao's main camp
Elite Guard of Huang Zu
Elite Guard of Cai Mao
Elite Guard of Lu Gong
Meat Bun Locations:
Near the gate in the northeast corner of the map
Near the western-most gate
Near the center of the map
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
____________________________________________
Battle of the Wu Territory (Sun Ce's Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
There are three forts; the crate is in the southeast corner of the
northern-most fort, which is also Yan Baihu's fort.
Elite Guard of Wang Lang
Elite Guard of Yan Baihu
Elite Guard of Zhang Ying
Meat Bun Locations:
Northeast corner of the northern-most fort; also Yan Baihu's fort.
East of Liu Yong's main camp
North of Liu Yong's main camp
2 supply bases
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
__________________________________________
Battle of the Wu Territory (Allied Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
There are three forts; the crate is in the southeast corner of the
northern-most fort, which is also Dong Xi's fort.
Elite Guard of Zhou Tai
Elite Guard of Cheng Pu
Elite Guard of Zhou Yu
Meat Bun Locations:
Northeast corner of the northern-most fort; also Yan Baihu's fort
East of Liu Yong's main camp
North of Liu Yong's main camp
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
____________________
Battle of Wan Castle
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate near the gate in the southwest corner of the map
Elite Guard of Jia Xu
2 Elite Guards of Zhang Xiu *
Meat Bun Locations:
Southwest corner of the map **
* It is possible to get Zhang Xiu to show up. This depends of how many task
force troops you let and don't let through the gate that Dian Wei is supposed
to be guarding. Two of Zhang Xiu's elite guards drop a Musou Rage.
**There is only 1 meat bun in this stage
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
___________________________________
Battle of Xia Pi (Cao Cao's Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate near the gate at the northwest corner of the map
Elite Guard of Cao Xing
Elite Guard of Gao Shun
Elite Guard of Yuan Shu
Meat Bun Locations:
Near the center of the map, on the west side of the river
Near the gate in the southeast corner of the map
At the gate near Cao Xing
1 supply base
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_________________________________
Battle of Xia Pi (Lu Bu's Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate near the gate at the northwest corner of the map
Elite Guard of Zhang Fei
Elite Guard of Xiahou Dun
Elite Guard of Cao Cao
Meat Bun Locations:
Near the center of the map, on the west side of the river
Naer the gate in the southeast corner of the map
At the gate near Cao Xing
1 supply base
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
____________________________________
Battle of Guan Du (Cao Cao's Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate at the west side of the map, slightly south of the river
Elite Guard of Zhen Ji
Elite Guard of Zhang He
Elite Guard of Chunyu Qiong
Meat Bun Locations:
Near the western gate, just above the river
In Wu Chao Supply Depot
Near a gate in Guan Du Castle
Near the gate in the northeast corner; Liu Bei's escape point
*There are four meat buns on the field in this stage
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________________________________
Battle of Guan Du (Yuan Shao's Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate at the west side of the map, slightly south of the river
Elite Guard of Liu Yan
Elite Guard of Cao Zhang
Elite Guard of Cao Pi
Meat Bun Locations:
Near the western gate, just above the river
In Wu Chao Supply Depot
Near a gate in Guan Du Castle
Near the gate in the northeast corner; Liu Bei's escape point
1 supply base
*There are four meat buns on the field in this stage
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
___________________________________
Guan Yu's Escape (Cao Cao's Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate slightly south of the fifth checkpoint*
Gate Captain at the southern-most gate
Gate Captain at the northern-most gate
Gate Captain at the gate between the third and fourth checkpoints
Meat Bun Locations:
Just before the third checkpoint*
*There is only one meat bun on the field in this stage
*There is a total of five checkpoints that Guan Yu must pass
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
___________________________________
Guan Yu's Escape (Guan Yu's Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate slightly south of the fifth checkpoint*
Gate Captain at the southern-most gate
Gate Captain at the northern-most gate
Gate Captain at the gate between the third and fourth checkpoints
Meat Bun Locations:
Just before the third checkpoint*
*There is a total of five checkpoints that Guan Yu must pass
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
____________________
The Trials of Sun Ce
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate at the west side of the map
After defeating the first Yu Ji, four Yu Ji's appear, spread out at the
four sides of the map. The Yu Ji that appears in the north
drops a Musou Rage.
After Sun Ce's troops are turned against him, another four phantom
Yu Ji's appear, once again spread out at the four sides of
the map. Again, the Yu Ji that appears in the north drops a
Musou Rage.
At the end, during Yu Ji's last test, lots of phantom Yu Ji's appear.
One of these phantom Yu Ji's drops a Musou Rage.
Meat Bun Locations:
In the southern area of the map*
*There is only one meat bun in this stage
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_____________________________________
Battle of Xia Kou (Sun Quan's Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate at the gate north of the shore where the boats depart.
Elite Guard of Gan Ning
Elite Guard of Zhang Hu
Elite Guard of Su Fei
Meat Bun Locations:
There is a meat bun on the very small island joined by two bridges
Near the gate that is closest to the ship docks
There are two defense bases which guard the entrances to the center
area of the map where the ships are. The meat bun is just
outside of the east defense base
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_____________________________________
Battle of Xia Kou (Huang Zu's Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate at the gate north of the shore where the boats depart.
Elite Guard of Ling Tong
Elite Guard of Taishi Ci
Elite Guard of Zhou Tai
Meat Bun Locations:
There is a meat bun on the very small island joined by two bridges
Near the gate that is closest to the ship docks
Near the allied attack base
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________________________________
Battle of Chang Ban (Cao Cao's Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate near the center of the map
Elite Guard of Zhang Fei
Elite Guard of Sun Qian
Elite Guard of Guan Yu
Meat Bun Locations:
Near the western-most gate that is north of the river; Zhao Yun's
starting point
There are two bases guarding the access of the two horizontal routes.
There is meat bun east of both these bases
1 supply base
Liu Bei's Forces:
Crate near the center of the map
Elite Guard of Li Dian
Elite Guard of Xiahou En
Elite Guard of Jia Kui
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
___________________________________
Battle of Chi Bi (Cao Cao's Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate on the north side of the ship where Huang Gai appears after the
fire attack. Also, Xiahou Yuan's starting position is on this
ship.
Elite Guard of Pan Zhang
Elite Guard of Zhu Ran
Elite Guard of Zhou Yu
Meat Bun Locations:
Gate South of the Eastern Bridge
Gate Southwest of the Western Bridge
South side of the Boat where Huang Gai appears after the Fire Attack
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_____________________________________
Escape from Chi Bi (Cao Cao's Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate slightly east of where Zhang Fei appears
Elite Guard of Chen Wu
Elite Guard of Guan Ping
Elite Guard of Sun Quan
Meat Bun Locations:
Near the western-most gate
Near the eastern-most gate
Northern edge of the map, in the center
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
__________________________________
Escape from Chi Bi (Allied Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations Forces:
Crate slightly east of Han Hao's starting position
Elite Guard of Zhang Liao
Elite Guard of Man Chong
Elite Guard of Yu Jin
Meat Bun Locations:
Near the western-most gate
Near the eastern-most gate
Northern edge of the map, in the center
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________________________________
Battle of Tong Gate (Cao Cao's Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate near the gate at the northeast corner of the map
Elite Guard of Li Kan
Elite Guard of Zhang Heng
Elite Guard of Liang Xing
Meat Bun Locations:
Near the eastern-most gate that is just south of the river
Near Tong Gate
On the northeastern chunk of land, slightly west of it's geographic
center
2 supply bases
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
___________________________________
Battle of Tong Gate (Allied Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate near the gate at the northeast corner of the map
Elite Guard of Cao Hong
Elite Guard of Xu Zhu
Elite Guard of Zhang He
Meat Bun Locations:
Near the eastern-most gate that is just south of the river
Near Tong Gate
On the northeastern chunk of land, slightly west of it's geometric
center
3 supply bases
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
__________________
Battle of Cheng Du
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate at the gate slightly east of Yan Yan
Elite Guard of Lei Tong
Elite Guard of Wu Lan
Elite Guard of Zhang Ren
Meat Bun Locations:
Near the gate, near Liu Bei's main camp
Near the gate in the northwest corner of the map
Near the southern gate inside Liu Zhang's Castle
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_____________________________
Battle of He Fei (Wei Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate near the bridge that Zhang Liao destroys
Elite Guard of Pan Zhang
Elite Guard of Chen Wu
Elite Guard of Xu Sheng
Meat Bun Locations:
Near the center-most gate
There is a base pretty much dead on the geographic center of the map.
There is a meat bun north of the base, which is north of this
center-most base
Near the gate that is northeast of the center-most base
5 supply bases
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
____________________________
Battle of He Fei (Wu Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate near the bridge that Zhang Liao destroys
Elite Guard of Xu Huang
Elite Guard of Cao Xiu
Elite Guard of Xiahou Dun
Meat Bun Locations:
Near the center-most gate
There is a base pretty much dead on the geographic center of the map.
There is a meat bun north of the base, which is north of this
center-most base
Near the gate that is northeast of the center-most base
7 supply bases
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_____________________________________
The Invasion of Nan Zhong (Wu Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate at the gate in the southwest corner of the map
Elite Guard of Jinhuan Sanjie the
Elite Guard of Zhu Rong
Elite Guard of Man Yachang
Meat Bun Locations:
North of the southern-most base
Near the gate in the northeast corner of the map
South of the base in the northwest corner of the map
2 supply bases
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_________________________________________
The Invasion of Nan Zhong (Nanman Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate at the gate in the southwest corner of the map
Elite Guard of Zhu Huan
Elite Guard of Zhou Tai
Elite Guard of Ding Feng
Meat Bun Locations:
North of the southern-most base
Near the gate in the northeast corner of the map
South of the base in the northwest corner of the map
2 supply bases
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
__________________________________
Battle of Mt Ding Jun (Wei Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate at the eastern-most gate
Elite Guard of Wu Lan
Elite Guard of Li Yan
Elite Guard of Huang Zhong
Meat Bun Locations:
Near Cao Cao's main camp
Near the northwest corner of the map
North of the southern-most base
1 supply base
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
__________________________________
Battle of Mt Ding Jun (Shu Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate at the eastern-most gate
Elite Guard of Xiahou De
Elite Guard of Yue Jin
Elite Guard of Xiahou Yuan
Meat Bun Locations:
Near Cao Cao's main camp
Near the northwest corner of the map
North of the southern-most base
1 supply base
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_________________________________
Battle of Fan Castle (Wei Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate east of the center-most base
Elite Guard of Ma Liang
Elite Guard of Liu Feng
Elite Guard of Zhang Fei
Meat Bun Locations:
Outside Guan Yu's main camp, on the east side
Near the base that is southeast of the map's geographical center
East of the base in the center of the map
5 supply bases
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________________________
Battle of Fan Castle (Wu Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate east of the center-most base
Elite Guard of Ma Liang
Elite Guard of Zhou Cang
Elite Guard of Liu Feng
Meat Bun Locations:
Outside Guan Yu's main camp, on the east side
Near the base that is southeast of the map's geographical center
East of the base in the center of the map
4 supply bases
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_________________________________
Battle of Fan Castle (Shu Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate east of the center-most base
Elite Guard of Niu Jin
Elite Guard of Lu Xun
Elite Guard of Man Chong
Meat Bun Locations:
Outside Guan Yu's main camp, on the east side
Near the base that is southeast of the map's geographical center
East of the base in the center of the map
5 supply bases
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_____________________________
Battle of Yi Ling (Wu Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate just outside of Liu Bei's main camp at the center of the map
Elite Guard of Guan Xing
Elite Guard of Zhang Bao
Elite Guard of Ma Su
Meat Bun Locations:
On the west edge of the map, there is a piece of land that is
shaped sort of like a hook. The meat bun is at the gate
located at the tip of the "hook"
Near the base in the southeast corner of the map
South side of Liu Bei's camp in the center of the map
In the Stone Sentinel Maze; west side*
8 supply bases
*There are four meat buns on the field in this stage
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
______________________________
Battle of Yi Ling (Shu Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate just outside of Liu Bei's main camp at the center of the map
Elite Guard of Ma Zhong
Elite Guard of Xu Sheng
Elite Guard of Gan Ning
Meat Bun Locations:
On the west edge of the map, there is a piece of land that is
shaped sort of like a hook. The meat bun is at the gate
located at the tip of the "hook"
Near the base in the southeast corner of the map
South side of Liu Bei's camp in the center of the map
In the Stone Sentinel Maze; west side*
8 supply bases
*There are four meat buns on the field in this stage
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
__________________________________
Conquest of Nan Zhong (Shu Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
There are two western-most gates, the musou rage is in the crate at
south gate of these two gates
Elite Guard of Ahui Nan
Elite Guard of Zhu Rong
Elite Guard of Wu Tugu
Meat Bun Locations:
Eastern Gate of Meng Huo's Main Camp
Eastern Gate of Zhuge Liang's Main Camp
Gate West of Guan Xing's starting position
1 supply base
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________________________
Battle of Tian Shui (Wei Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate at the center-most gate, or the gate in Nan An Castle
Elite Guard of Zhang Bao
Elite Guard of Zhao Yun
Elite Guard of Zhuge Liang
Meat Bun Locations:
Near the gate in the northwest corner of the map
Near the gate east of Zhuge Liang's main camp
Near the northern-most gate in Ma Zun's main camp
1 supply base
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________________________
Battle of Tian Shui (Shu Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate at the center-most gate, or the gate in Nan An Castle
Elite Guard of Cui Liang
Elite Guard of Han De
Elite Guard of Cheng Wu
Meat Bun Locations:
Near the gate in the northwest corner of the map
Near the gate east of Zhuge Liang's main camp
Near the northern-most gate in Ma Zun's main camp
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________________________
Battle of Jie Ting (Wei Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate very near the center of the map
Elite Guard of Liao Hua
Elite Guard of Guan Xing
Elite Guard of Ma Dai
Meat Bun Locations:
Near the eastern base in Sima Yi's main camp
Of the two gates on the northern edge of the map, the meat bun is
near the eastern one
Near the base in the southeast corner of the map
2 supply bases
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_______________________________
Battle of Jie Ting (Shu Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate very near the center of the map
Elite Guard of Xin Pi
Elite Guard of Deng Ai
Elite Guard of Xiahou Wei
Meat Bun Locations:
Near the eastern base in Sima Yi's main camp
Of the two gates on the northern edge of the map, the meat bun is
near the eastern one
Near the base in the southeast corner of the map
3 supply bases
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________________________
Battle of Chen Cang (Wei Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate at the southeast corner inside Chen Cang Castle
Elite Guard of Wang Ping
Elite Guard of Huang Zhong
Elite Guard of Yang Yi
Meat Bun Locations:
In the lower half of the stage, the meat bun is in the center of the
wide open area
The southeast corner of Chen Cang Castle; right beside the Musou Rage
Token
The west gate in Chen Cang Castle
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
________________________________
Battle of Chen Cang (Shu Forces)
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Musou Rage Token Locations:
Crate at the southeast corner inside Chen Cang Castle
Elite Guard of Fei Yi
Elite Guard of Liu Ye
Elite Guard of Cao Xiu
Meat Bun Locations:
In the lower half of the stage, the meat bun is in the center of the
wide open area
The southeast corner of Chen Cang Castle; right beside the Musou Rage
Token
The west gate in Chen Cang Castle
===============================================================================
____________________________
12.00 - Video Clip Directory
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
I created this section just to show a list of all the video clips that I have
made, to make it easier for viewers, to see at a glance. These video clips
show the best item configurations for all the characters, and how they
should be used on Chaos.
Furthermore, probably the most important reason for making these video clips
is to show the my Edit characters. These characters are customized with
better weapons, and are arguably better in Chaos, even without the free
musou rage tokens per 100 KO's. The best example is probably Sun Jian, who
has a light fourth weapon with no extra attack bonus on it. Creating a new
warrior with a third weapon having five bonus attributes on it, all devoted
to attack, is likely a better choice with using Sun Jian's moveset, for
most people. Now, you can view these video clips before you go through the
trouble of creating a new warrior from scratch, in Destiny Mode.
These video clips, except for the walkthrough videos from DW5 (because
they are over 10 minutes long) and the 10 fastest killing videos, are all
uploaded onto Youtube. Here is a link to my profile, where you can access all
the video clips.
http://youtube.com/DW5chaosmodeguide
DW5 DW5 XL CAW Other
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Lu Bu Lu Bu Odin (Xu Huang) Gan Ning (10 fastest)
Zhao Yun Zhao Yun Locke (Gan Ning) Sima Yi (10 fastest)
Wei Yan Wei Yan Beatrix (Sun Jian) Zhuge Liang (10 fastest)
Guan Yu Ma Chao Gilgamesh (Pang De) Taishi Ci (10 fastest)
Ma Chao Guan Yu Barret (Cao Ren) Ling Tong (10 fastest)
Zhang Liao Zhang Liao Rosa (Huang Zhong) Zhou Yu (10 fastest)
Jiang Wei Jiang Wei Ramza (Zhang Fei) Wei Yan (10 fastest)
Pang De Pang De Cid (Taishi Ci) Zuo Ci (10 fastest)
Zhou Tai Zhou Tai Rikku (Sun Shang Xiang) Xiahou Dun (10 fastest)
Gan Ning Gan Ning Yuffie (Sun Shang Xiang) Zhao Yun (10 fastest)
Ling Tong Ling Tong Paine (Xing Cai) _______________________
Zuo Ci Zuo Ci Squall (Liu Bei) Refilling Musou (DW3)
Xu Huang Xu Huang Edgar (Lu Meng) Countering Counterattacks
Lu Meng Lu Meng Umaro (Xu Zhu) (DW4)
Yue Ying Yue Ying Steiner (Guan Ping) _______________________
Meng Huo Meng Huo Freya (Yue Ying) Gan Ning (One-Hit-KO)
Xiahou Dun Xiahou Dun Rydia (Zhen Ji) Guan Ping (One-Hit-KO)
Zhang Fei Zhang Fei Reina (Xiao Qiao) Taishi Ci (One-Hit-KO)
Guan Ping Guan Ping Diao Chan (One-Hit-KO)
Zhou Yu Zhou Yu
Liu Bei Liu Bei
Yuan Shao Yuan Shao
Dong Zhuo Dong Zhuo
Sun Quan Sun Quan
Da Qiao Da Qiao
Xiao Qiao Xiao Qiao
Cao Cao Cao Cao
Cao Pi Cao Pi
Cao Ren Cao Ren
Xing Cai Xing Cai
Sima Yi Sima Yi
Huang Gai Huang Gai
Sun Shang Xiang Sun Shang Xiang
Xiahou Yuan Xiahou Yuan
Dian Wei Dian Wei
Sun Jian Sun Jian
Lu Xun Lu Xun
Huang Zhong Huang Zhong
Sun Ce Sun Ce
Xu Zhu Xu Zhu
Zhen Ji Zhen Ji
Pang Tong Pang Tong
Zhu Rong Zhu Rong
Taishi Ci Taishi Ci
Zhuge Liang Zhuge Liang
Diao Chan Diao Chan
Zhang Jiao Zhang Jiao
===============================================================================
__________________________________
13.00 - Frequently Asked Questions
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ
Q: Why is Zhou Tai ranked so low? I think you're crazy, and you don't know
what you're talkin about.
A: Well first off, I know exactly what I'm talking about. One big thing about
proving Zhou Tai's overratedness, is his musou. This is what I hate
most about the evidence that people give me to try to prove that Zhou Tai's
one of the best. Sadly, it's often the only support to their argument.
Well, first I'll tell you why his musou isn't as godly as you think it is.
The damage done is not spectacular (please don't make me prove this one).
Sure; the reach and range covered is very useful, but THAT'S IT. That's all
the reach and range you get, because he's planted on the ground. Since, you
can't move around, you don't really kill that many peons. Perhaps an
explanation to why people are so obsessed with his musou, is that you can
see all your enemies with all their health depleted right in front of you,
and that somehow makes Zhou Tai godly, and places him as Lu Bu's new equal.
It's characters with musou strengths much stronger than Zhou Tai's, and the
ability to move around, who should be credited for they're good musous.
Well, with his musou out of the way, I think these 3 reasons explain why
people worship Zhou Tai.
1. They know or remember that he "was" really really good in DW4.
2. He looks cool, acts cool, and his moves are really cool.
3. They've only really played hard mode with him.
4. His horse combat is incredible
Quick and obvious answers to these reasons are, even though he could be
rivaled with Zhao Yun and the others in DW4, Zhou Tai in DW5 will always be
Zhou Tai in DW5; and I mean c'mon, this is a tier list, not a list of your
favorite or the coolest characters; as the most distinguishing difference
from hard mode to chaos mode is that you need to exercise defensive
attacking, which is not that easy. Even with the Green Scroll, the damage
dealt to you by the enemy is a joke. Well, to address that last point,
it's not hard to realize that Zhou Tai is one of the best characters to use
on horse, but my tier list was precisely defined, and it excludes the
consideration of horse combat.
I hoped that this has helped the people who had sent me those emails
recover from their Zhou Tai fever.
Q: Are you as consistent as you are in your video clips?
A: Well, to tell you the truth, there were several characters that took me
a fair number of tries. These were the more challenging characters to use.
I remember that Sun Ce took me a while. It really takes a lot of skill and
practice to survive with Sun Ce. Guan Ping's I remember, for some reason
took me a few tries. Xu Zhu's if I remember correctly, took me 4 tries,
but I'll say that it was no fun making his, cause he's so damn slow at
killing. But most characters above Guan Ping in the tier list were
essentially a breeze.
Q: Tier List's are all opinion, Tier Lists are BS, My Tier List is different
from your Tier List, etc......
A: I'll just copy and paste from the definition section of my tier list.
Just a note on tier lists: Many people tend to reject tier lists
outright, because the common thought is that a tier list is all opinion,
and that a tier list depends on how good a person is with each character.
First of all, being good with several characters, for example personal
favorites, reflects obviously an individual tier list, which is biased,
premature, and inaccurate; and this has nothing to do with a general
all-emcompassing tier list. Secondly, on the common philosophy that tier
lists are all, or mostly, opinion-based: this cannot be true, as the method
for constructing an accurate tier list relies on a collection of factual
pros and cons of each character. When these pros and cons all weight out to
a thorough conclusion, characters can be evaluated and placed among one
another. When a number of characters have seemingly equal pros and cons, is
when opinions make the negligible impact. There is a "best" way to play
each character, and this is factual; there is a "best" way to survive or
fight protectively with each character, and this is factual. I have
witnesses perhaps too many times that people make reckless claims and label
percentages for tier lists to something like being 95% opinion, and 5% fact.
From my brief argument above, this is really hard to except. For the general
tier lists in my guide, I have organized characters into tiers, and
characters in these tiers are ordered. It can be thought that characters
separated by tiers in the tier lists in my guide are factual, or very close
to being factual. The order of the characters within the same tier,
normally have similar pros and cons, and may very well depend on individual
opinion. Simple examples are:
Liu Bei and Yuan Shao, are technically the two most similar or closely
related characters in the game. It shouldn't be hard to realized this.
There really is very little fact that can evaluate who is better. You'd be
surprised to see how many people place them in different tiers.
Lu Bu and Zhang Jiao: I know that I am using two extremes, but the obvious
point is that, fact or opinion, no matter how you look at it, these two
characters can never be rivalled.
===============================================================================
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14.00 - Just for Fun
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This is just a section to include some miscellaneous stuff.
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14.01 - My Favorite Characters
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Zhao Yun, Guan Yu, Taishi Ci, Xiahou Dun, Xing Cai, Zhen Ji, Zhou Yu
Wei Yan, Gan Ning, Fu Xi, Ma Chao
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14.02 - Ten Fastest General Killers
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The 10 fastest general killers. (Non-playable generals from full health)
(please email me if you have a SIGNIFICANTLY better time that would cause a
change in the ranking)
Here is a section for the people who really enjoy reading my guide.
Keep in mind that this is just for fun. It might look like it took me a long
time to do this, but it didn't.
Also, I don't think I will make a ranking for Xtreme Legends. Just at a
glance, I don't see much change in the ranking, except for Fu Xi definitely
making the cut, bumping Zhao Yun out of the top ten, and Taishi Ci possibly
beating Zhuge Liang.
But a new ranking for Fully Customized Weapons....hmmm
I will do this when someone requests it.
Since this is a list of potentially the fastest general killers, I will
need to obtain heavy weapons, so I might decline on it.
Anyway, even if we consider full customization of weapons, this list
still doesn't change too much.
I have to stress that these characters are potentially the fastest, which may
not mean consistently the fastest; or similarly may not be fastest in practical
situations.
It should be noted that strategist type generals (ex. Quan Zong; Zhuge Jin)
have slightly less health than all other "might" generals.
I have also provided video clips for visual proof. Refer to the list
below for the time intervals, so you can just skip straight there. The reason
that I begin every level from scratch is to show that I am playing on Chaos.
Using Media Player Classic to analyse these accurately, it allows 15 frames
per second. This means that each frame spans 60/15 milliseconds = 4
Not that this much accuracy matters, this just explains how I came up with
the data in the rankings below. Lastly, the ones with the stars beside them
have to be explained in more detail with specific reference to the clips.
_______________________________________________________________________________
1 Gan Ning* [02:11:28 to 02:12:20] (0.87 seconds)
2 Sima Yi* [03:22:52 to 03:24:52] (2.00 seconds)
3 Zhuge Liang [01:44:50 to 01:47:00] (2.50 seconds)
4 Taishi Ci* [02:11:56 to 02:15:44] (3.20 seconds)
5 Ling Tong* [01:12:00 to 01:16:32] (4.53 seconds)
6 Zhou Yu [02:56:10 to 02:58:00 + 03:00:32 to 03:03:44] (5.03 seconds)
7 Wei Yan* [03:32:44 to 03:33:20 + 03:37:08 to 03:41:44] (5.20 seconds)
8 Zuo Ci* [03:21:48 to 03:27:28] (5.80 seconds)
9 Xiahou Dun* [03:17:00 to 03:23:08] (6.13 seconds)
10 Zhao Yun [01:01:48 to 01:08:32] (6.73 seconds)
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Dong Zhuo, Zhou Tai, Lu Bu, and Sun Quan were the next ones with Dong Zhuo
slightly below 7, Sun Quan at 7.00, and Zhou Tai and Lu Bu a little past 7.
*It should be noted that theoretically for Gan Ning to be potentially the
fastest, the first hit landed on the general must be the ending of his
second charge. So the time starts here. Normally corrections would have to be
made like with the other characters...but I'm sure that everyone can see that
the damage dealt prior to the ending of this second charge is very much
negligible. The biggest error that this could cause would be about 4
milliseconds or so. The main point is, that adding on this small error still
makes him the potentially the fastest general killer, by far.
*In Wei Yan's, proper corrections have been made to compensate for the initial
mistake damage dealt to the general with his true musou at 03:04.
*Xiahou Dun's ending time had been extended for the case if the general were
not a strategist. (non-strategists have slightly more health)
*With Sima Yi, it's all a matter of steering it correctly to deal maximum
damage. I have taken the finish time to be slightly earlier to resemble a more
theoretical time.
*I predict that Taishi Ci could come very close to being as fast as Zhuge Liang
if his fourth weapon had an extra attack bonus, which would enhance the
power of his musou quite significantly.
*Long Tong's start should theoretically begin at his third charge. The initial
damage dealt by his first three normal attacks is made up for at the end.
*For Zuo Ci, his time should theoretically begin at his third charge. The
initial damage dealt by his first three normal attacks approximately equals
the damage dealt by one musou hit. Thus there is a slight correction to his
ending time.
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14.03 - Character Normal Attack Ranking
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Here is a ranking of all the characters' normal attacking strengths from
strongest to weakest. These statistics are very strictly numerical, and only
show the relative strengths of normal attacks only. The damage calculation is
also only a relative value, and not a universal damage value. What I mean by
"relative" is that in the calculations, I take light weapons to have a no
weapon weight multiplier, or in other words a multiplier of 1. Medium weapons
would differ by a multiple of 1.25; this would mean that "relative" to light
weapons, medium weapons are 1.25 times stronger. (refer to section 6.28 for
weapon weight multipliers) The same argument can be said for heavy weapons.
Obviously, these calculations require that all characters have the same items
equipped, and that the only thing that makes all characters different from
each other are their fourth weapons. Thus, maxed character attack, the Tiger
Amulet, and the Green Scroll multiplier are all constant among all the
characters.
The calculation formula is:
[(power/10) + (maxed ATK = 40) + (Tiger Amulet) + (Weapon ATK bonus)] *
(Green Scroll = 1.5) * (Weight Multiplier)
Characters with the same damage value receive the same rank number.
Please refer to the following sections if you want to understand how the
values are derived, and how the calculation is conducted:
6.27 - Weapon Power
6.28 - Weapon Weight Multipliers
6.29 - The Green Scroll
Also, note that these only count when characters who have two weapon hit with
only one weapon. Taking Da Qiao for example, her third normal attack is capable
of dealing double damage because she wields two fans. So actually, the strength
of her third normal attack if she successfully hits with both fans
(indicated by a +2 in the combo counter) would be 185.63*2,
which is well...371.25. Very damaging to say the least.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Weight Power ATK Bonus Calculation Damage
1 Da Qiao H 32 16 [(32/10)+40+20+16]*1.5*1.56 185.63
2 Lu Bu M 40 20 [(40/10)+40+20+20]*1.5*1.2 157.50
3 Sun Ce M 36 18 [(36/10)+40+20+18]*1.5*1.2 153.00
3 Wei Yan M 36 18 [(36/10)+40+20+18]*1.5*1.2 153.00
3 Dong Zhuo M 36 18 [(36/10)+40+20+18]*1.5*1.2 153.00
4 Ma Chao M 38 17 [(38/10)+40+20+17]*1.5*1.2 151.50
5 Ling Tong M 36 17 [(36/10)+40+20+17]*1.5*1.2 151.13
5 Zhou Tai M 36 17 [(36/10)+40+20+17]*1.5*1.2 151.13
5 Xiahou Dun M 36 17 [(36/10)+40+20+17]*1.5*1.2 151.13
5 Zhao Yun M 36 17 [(36/10)+40+20+17]*1.5*1.2 151.13
5 Huang Gai M 36 17 [(36/10)+40+20+17]*1.5*1.2 151.13
5 Zhang Liao M 36 17 [(36/10)+40+20+17]*1.5*1.2 151.13
6 Cao Cao M 34 17 [(34/10)+40+20+17]*1.5*1.2 150.75
7 Zhang He M 36 16 [(36/10)+40+20+16]*1.5*1.2 149.25
7 Jiang Wei M 36 16 [(36/10)+40+20+16]*1.5*1.2 149.25
7 Xiahou Yuan M 36 16 [(36/10)+40+20+16]*1.5*1.2 149.25
8 Zhou Yu M 34 16 [(34/10)+40+20+16]*1.5*1.25 148.88
8 Sun Quan M 34 16 [(34/10)+40+20+16]*1.5*1.25 148.88
9 Xiao Qiao H 32 0 [(32/10)+40+20+0]*1.5*1.56 148.13
9 Sun Shang Xiang H 32 0 [(32/10)+40+20+0]*1.5*1.56 148.13
9 Diao Chan H 32 0 [(32/10)+40+20+0]*1.5*1.56 148.13
10 Lu Xun M 34 15 [(34/10)+40+20+15]*1.5*1.25 147.00
10 Cao Pi M 34 15 [(34/10)+40+20+15]*1.5*1.25 147.00
11 Sima Yi M 32 15 [(32/10)+40+20+15]*1.5*1.25 146.63
11 Zhang Jiao M 32 15 [(32/10)+40+20+15]*1.5*1.25 146.63
12 Zhang Fei L 39 19 [(39/10)+40+20+19]*1.5*1 124.35
13 Gan Ning L 38 19 [(38/10)+40+20+19]*1.5*1 124.20
14 Guan Yu L 38 18 [(38/10)+40+20+18]*1.5*1 122.70
14 Dian Wei L 38 18 [(38/10)+40+20+18]*1.5*1 122.70
15 Meng Huo L 36 18 [(36/10)+40+20+18]*1.5*1 122.40
16 Guan Ping L 36 17 [(36/10)+40+20+17]*1.5*1 120.90
16 Xu Huang L 36 17 [(36/10)+40+20+17]*1.5*1 120.90
17 Zuo Ci M 40 0 [(40/10)+40+20+0]*1.5*1.25 120.00
18 Taishi Ci M 38 0 [(38/10)+40+20+0]*1.5*1.25 119.63
19 Pang De L 36 16 [(36/10)+40+20+16]*1.5*1 119.40
20 Yue Ying M 36 0 [(36/10)+40+20+0]*1.5*1.25 119.25
20 Lu Meng M 36 0 [(36/10)+40+20+0]*1.5*1.25 119.25
21 Liu Bei M 34 0 [(34/10)+40+20+0]*1.5*1.25 118.88
21 Yuan Shao M 34 0 [(34/10)+40+20+0]*1.5*1.25 118.88
21 Xing Cai M 34 0 [(34/10)+40+20+0]*1.5*1.25 118.88
21 Zhu Rong M 34 0 [(34/10)+40+20+0]*1.5*1.25 118.88
22 Zhen Ji M 32 0 [(32/10)+40+20+0]*1.5*1.25 118.50
22 Zhuge Liang M 32 0 [(32/10)+40+20+0]*1.5*1.25 118.50
22 Pang Tong M 32 0 [(34/10)+40+20+0]*1.5*1.25 118.50
23 Cao Ren L 32 15 [(32/10)+40+20+15]*1.5*1 117.30
24 Xu Zhu L 38 0 [(38/10)+40+20+0]*1.5*1 95.70
25 Huang Zhong L 36 0 [(36/10)+40+20+0]*1.5*1 95.40
26 Sun Jian L 34 0 [(34/10)+40+20+0]*1.5*1 95.10
______________________________________________________________________________
Comments:
Da Qiao is almost twice as strong as Sun Jian
There is a noticeable difference in damage strength in the gap between Cao Ren
and Xu Zhu.
There is a noticeable difference in damage strength in the gap between Zhang
Fei and Zhang Jiao.
It is quite ironic that Da Qiao (whom you would think would be one of the
weakest) has the strongest normal attacks, and that Xu Zhu (whom you would
think would be one of the strongest) has the third weakest normal attacks.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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14.04 - Killing Regular Generals in One Hit [XL]
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I took me a while to think of this: it is possible to kill a regular general
from full health in just one hit. It is possible with a few characters.
I have made videos of these, so you may refer to the link below to see them.
Gan Ning
Guan Ping
Diao Chan
Taishi Ci
http://youtube.com/DW5chaosmodeguide
For details, it's quite simple. You just need a really strong attack. Taishi
Ci and Diao Chan are suitable because both their air charges deal double
damage because of two weapons. And well...Gan Ning and Guan Ping both have
a naturally strong musou.
To make this happen, attack must be maximized, or close to it.
Maxed ATK Bar
Tiger Amulet - Lv20 ATK
Weapon Attack - Lv20 ATK
Weapon Power - 40
Survival Guide / ATKx2 pickup - ATKx2
Green Scroll - ATKx1.5
Musou Rage - ATKx2
True Way of Musou - Musou ATKx1.5
Herbal Remedy - Stronger Charge Attack
Other characters that are/may be possible:
Pang De (C5)
Sun Shang Xiang (Counterattack, centered properly)
Huang Zhong (Charged Bow Attack) ?
Xiahou Yuan (Charged Bow Attack) ?
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14.05 - Ma Chao's God Tier Placement
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I thought it would be fun to analyse the best character in the game, with the
best possible setup. I've placed this analysis in this section because
this guide does not encompass horse combat. But if some sort of tier list
were to be made that includes horse combat, or if a strict horse combat tier
list were to be made, Ma Chao is at the top of it. I label this one notch
higher than Top Tier, the God Tier.
Ma Chao
- Heavy Weapon compatibility on Horse
- With a Heavy 3rd weapon
Attack
Horse
Musou
Fill
Bow / Life / Defense
His offense allows for one-musou-KOs against regular officers. This needs a
full six hit attack preceding. This is the fastest possible consistent
offense in DW5. (Zhuge Liang should be the closest rival (only in offense of
course), also with a Heavy Weapon. Zhuge should be slower on average because
he functions on a musou filling phase with his jump charge, before he can
kill officers with his musou. However, his musou will take out higher
defense officers such as playable characters, while Ma Chao will still need
two musous)
- Item Configuration should be
Tiger Amulet
Green Scroll
Ginseng
Horned Helmet
Demon Band
- In XL, with the True Way of Musou, he no longer needs preceding normal
attacks. This only simplifies his offense against regular officers. But
against playable characters as enemy officers, he now has an advantage over
Zhuge Liang (again, "offensively" speaking).
- XL configuration would thus swap the Demon Band for the True Way of Musou.
- Horse Combat is the most ideal defense. His only flaw is archer crowds, but
with the Shadow Runner, he'll only get scratched by arrows.
- Do not use L1 when doing a full 6 normal attacks against officers in crowds.
Creep slowly around the officer during the 6 attacks, never accelerating to
the point that will cause the horse to slide to a stop. This defense is
perfect, and unparalleled in the game. His ideal defense is more apparent in
XL and Empires, where Phantom Soldiers, and Stone Warriors, etc...are more
abundant.
- When doing his musou, position officers near the head of the horse, to
maximize the hits, or to not miss with any of the hits.
- The offense notes apply to Chaos. So his offense would only be better in
easier difficulties
- The same all-round-best character notes above also apply to Zhou Tai and
Pang De, but Ma Chao should be a bit better, because of fastest attacking
speed of the three.
- Zuo Ci on horse may also be a possibility, because of a musou that will
continue to juggle without wasted hits. But 6 preceding attacks before
musou, are more dangerous to execute safely.
This is all from memory, as I almost never do Horse Combat. So it might need
some corrections.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_________________________________________________
14.06 - Dynasty Warriors 5 Musou Strength Ranking
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I've finally found enough time to make this ranking and the video to show it.
This is a ranking of musou strength for all of the characters in the game.
This was done on Xtreme Legends however, to avoid some of the sync glitches
from Dynasty Warriors 5.
______________________________________________________________________________
Dynasty Warriors 5 Musou Strength Ranking
1 Zhuge Liang
2 Sima Yi
3 Taishi Ci
4 Zhu Rong
5 Dong Zhuo
6 Liu Bei
7 Cao Ren
8 Yuan Shao
9 Sun Quan
10 Sun Jian
11 Pang De
12 Zhang Liao
13 Gan Ning
14 Lu Meng
15 Lu Xun
16 Zhang He
17 Xiao Qiao
18 Nu Wa
19 Zuo Ci
20 Da Qiao
21 Xing Cai
22 Zhou Tai
23 Xiahou Dun
24 Zhang Jiao
25 Ling Tong
26 Zhang Fei
27 Zhou Yu
28 Cao Cao
29 Cao Pi
30 Huang Gai
31 Ma Chao
32 Zhao Yun
33 Dian Wei
34 Wei Yan
35 Sun Shang Xiang
36 Fu Xi
37 Pang Tong
38 Guan Yu
39 Jiang Wei
40 Lu Bu
41 Diao Chan
42 Xiahou Yuan
43 Sun Ce
44 Xu Zhu
45 Guan Ping
46 Zhen Ji
47 Yue Ying
48 Xu Huang
49 Huang Zhong
50 Meng Huo
______________________________________________________________________________
For details on how this video was made, I'll just copy and paste the video
description here.
This video took me quite some time to make, but I had a lot of fun making it.
All of the characters musous can be measured accurately [enough], by keeping
all other factors constant. Because of the weapons I had already, the most
convenient musou bar length for this video was a Lv20 increase on a weapon.
All characters have maxed stats, and an extra Lv20 increase in both attack and
musou, either by the Tiger Amulet and Dragon Amulet items, or by including
them in the weapons. All weapons are of medium weight with a power rating of
20. There are exceptions, Wei Yan and Cao Cao, who have Power21. I had 21 to
begin with, and was too lazy to get a new weapon. An extra +1 in power is a
lot less than an extra +1 in attack, so the results are unchanged, as this
increase in 1 power is negligible.
Important notes on accuracy: This video is but a ranking of musou strengths at
this particular musou length. While it still is quite an accurate ranking for
general musou strength, what I mean is that certain characters gain an extra
musou strike or extra repetition of strikes at certain musou bar lengths. This
would explain why Dong Zhuo gets an extra two slashes, which is an extra
repetition. Ideally, Dong Zhou would be placed a few ranks lower, but for the
sake of health depleted, I have not changed the ranking at all. The same would
be said for Lu Meng's case. For characters who result in the same damage dealt
they should be ranked according to overall usefulness in officer killing.
Such qualities include reliability of juggling, musou strike frequency, and
ability to defeat multiple officers. An example for each would be,
respectively, Huang Zhong's initial strike hits opponents high into the air
which causes his second strike to miss. His musou strikes hit the enemy quite
high, while Xiahou Yuan's musou is much more consistent; it appears that Da
Qiao and Zuo Ci have the same musou strengths in the end, but Zuo Ci's musou
should be considered better because against a frozen officer, Zuo Ci's musou
take the most advantage of the freeze time, for double damage. Planted musous,
such and Pang Tong's has the advantage in multiple officer situations.
Keep in mind that this is a ranking of strictly the damage dealt, with my best
efforts to maximize them all, at this musou length. Consistency obviously
plays an important role in a more ideal musou ranking. For example, it is very
challenging to juggle properly with Sun Shang Xiang's musou. Also, it would be
extremely hard to rank all the characters accurately, because of some unique
musous, such as Gan Ning's. Depending on the musou bar length, Gan Ning's
placement can likely range as much as 30 placements. Another good example
would be Taishi Ci, who has a musou ending with three strikes of six hits. In
a ranking with the shortest musou bar possible, he would be in first place.
Oh ya, sorry, some of the videos I forgot to turn off the Wu Zhang Plains
music. And sorry for the Xiahou Hui interruption in Zhang Liao's musou.
Sorry about the lag between Zhou Yu's and Zhang Fei's musous. There are TONS
of glitches with WinMovieMaker, and Im fed up with it all.
Notes on some characters in order of appearance:
- Meng Huo's musou is arguably the best in crowd clearing, but the worst in
officer killing
- The last strike in Diao Chan's musou can deal double damage and a combo of
two. Although, it's not too easy to control this.
- Move in this way to juggle properly with Fu Xi's and Sun Shang Xiang's
musous.
- A combo of 10 seems to what Im consistently getting for Ma Chao. Although I
have a feeling that 11 is possible. I'll leave this alone until someone
approaches me on it.
- Ling Tong's musou actually does hit officer too high, and a combo of 11
should be maximum at this musou bar length.
- Zhou Tai's musou seems to be widely accepted as one of the best officer
killing musou, but Zhou Tai's musou is weakest of all grounded musous as
shown. Some juggling musous, such as Zuo Ci's are stronger by default, and
would be more than twice as strong as Zhou Tai's with ice.
- Surprisingly, Xiao Qiao's musou took me one try. Obviously, her true ranking
should be lower, because in crowds, it's very difficult to control. It
should be maximized in this video, because the last strike hit when Zhuge
was pretty much at max height.
- Gan Ning's is simple. Two hits in two run-throughs.
- Yea, I've already mentioned some inaccuracies in number of musou strikes,
such as Lu Meng, and Dong Zhuo.
- Taishi Ci's musou ending is composed of three hits each capable of dealing
double damage and returning a combo of two.
- Disregarding the finishers, Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang's musous should deal the
same damage, but Sima Yi's is obviously inconsistent. After many trials,
this is my best result for Sima Yi.
===============================================================================
__________________________
15.00 - Thanks and Credits
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Devildawg:
Special thanks to devildawg, my friend, for helping me make
the video clip, Countering Counterattacks for DW4.
vgss:
I thought that it would be consistent to use the same method and
terminology that vgss uses in his/her "Item/Weapon/Wine/Dim Sum
Locations" FAQ to explain the locations of items. It should be noted
that my method of explanation is similar, if not the same, as vgss's.
Tony Chiu:
For making his excellent Internal Time Trick Guide.
Terry:
(1) Suggesting Way of Musou for Huang Zhong for a much faster offense
(2) Ice Arrows compatibility with charged volleys during Huang Zhong's
C3, and Xiahou Yuan's C1. There is a very high freezing probability
with these arrow charge attacks.
(3) Zhang Fei's misplacement in the XL Tier List. Important promotion.
Cleed:
Or better known as Mukamuka123. Cleed has helped me with the entire
Full Customization section. Although he's familiar with only several
movesets in the game, he's help contribute lots of suggestions,
and has helped greatly for the Full Customization Tier List.
I would need a long list to remember and list his contributions.
But lets see if I can name a few...
We've talked so much about this game, that it's hard to make a list
of his important contributions that'll do him justice.
- Gan Ning maximization, with his musou without ice, using the
Way of Musou
- Mastering Ma Chao's horse combat
- Mastering, and maximizing Ma Chao's horse musou strikes
- Ma Chao's perfect defense on horse (more apparent in XL and
Empires)
- Developing Ma Chao's God Tier concept
- Controlling Nu Wa's C1
Xiahou Jia:
Quite a DW5 expert. I thank Xiahou Jia for suggesting a possible
configuration for Huang Gai, with the Survival Guide, and presenting
the theory of the "damage-free zone"
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Copyright 2005-2006 Jonathan Leung